Fined for leaving your engine running
- Thread starter upsidedown
- Start date
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I have remonstrated with motorists who leave their engine running while they nip back into the house or a shop, but what's the use? It is an offence, but perceived as a 'victimless crime'. I just hope we never come to the day when a car runs away on its own (an automatic left in 'drive' maybe) and runs down and kills a child - or a car is stolen by youths who then kill a road user - I just hope that the driver then doesn't plead 'victimless crime'...
Incidentally, what's the mileage in making the owner of a vehicle responsible to some extent, for consequences of their vehicle being stolen? I really don't know how to steal a car - the thought that I might wish to have this knowledge has never occurred to me
. I suppose, a bit of training and I might figure out how to hot-wire, but defeating the steering-lock? I thought that if you use brute force you'll just snap the steering column first.
Or are our teenage TWOCers expert lock-pickers every one of them?
So I suspect there's a fair bit of negligence here: driver leaving the keys where thieves can get at them. So what price holding the driver to blame?
Incidentally, what's the mileage in making the owner of a vehicle responsible to some extent, for consequences of their vehicle being stolen? I really don't know how to steal a car - the thought that I might wish to have this knowledge has never occurred to me
. I suppose, a bit of training and I might figure out how to hot-wire, but defeating the steering-lock? I thought that if you use brute force you'll just snap the steering column first.Or are our teenage TWOCers expert lock-pickers every one of them?
So I suspect there's a fair bit of negligence here: driver leaving the keys where thieves can get at them. So what price holding the driver to blame?
I remember some years ago seeing a long time resident leave his car with it's engine running in the road whilst he grappled to get the garage door open and gates open. The really comical thing about it was that he was an elderly man who lived smack bang in the middle of the joyriding capital of the UK. Unfortunately he wouldn't listen that it was a seriously bad idea to do this every time he brought the car in. Perhaps he had a shot gun or something just within reach in the garage or something.
Sheffield_Tiger
Legendary Member
So much easier and cheaper, I have a cordless automatic defroster for the car.
It sits on the dash and, on a timer, comes on blowing short bursts of warm air, not dissimilar to breaths of warm air.
Takes about an hour but
1) Its on a timer so doesn't matter unless you have to set off earlier than expected
2) Doesn't blast constant hot air to cause a potential crack from rapid temperature change
3) Can start running while I'm still in bed
Thing is, since rediscovering cycling, I haven't used it once!
It sits on the dash and, on a timer, comes on blowing short bursts of warm air, not dissimilar to breaths of warm air.
Takes about an hour but
1) Its on a timer so doesn't matter unless you have to set off earlier than expected
2) Doesn't blast constant hot air to cause a potential crack from rapid temperature change
3) Can start running while I'm still in bed
Thing is, since rediscovering cycling, I haven't used it once!
