Ever heard of the term frost –jacking? South African vehicle owners might not be familiar with this term but this is something that our friends from the Northern Hemisphere are well aware of – and something that might cost them their cars!!
Car Insurers in Europe have warned motorists to be extra vigilant when defrosting their cars in the morning to avoid becoming a victim of frost-jacking.
What is frost –jacking?
There has been a spate of incidents up and down the UK where opportunist thieves have pounced on cars as the owners have left the engines running to warm up before heading off to work. It could be summarized as hijacking a vehicle where a vehicle owner leaves his vehicle engine running in the process of defrosting the windscreen. Even though a less violent type of hijacking, the financial consequences could be more severe!
Why is frost –jacking such a danger to vehicle ownership?
Car Insurers have warned that vehicle owner might not be covered for such vehicle loss by their car insurance policies as this kind of theft could invalidate the insurance policy. Leaving a car unattended with the engine running is an open invitation to thieves, and this could potentially leave your insurance cover void.
It has been reported that in just one week 50 frost-jacking incidents have been recorded in the West Midlands in Britain, with 3 attacks taking place within 20 minutes in the Greater Manchester area on a Monday morning. Vehicle thieves and hijackers are believed to be roaming the streets on the prowl for drivers leaving the cars running while they warm up and defrost their windscreens, so it’s vital drivers don’t leave their cars unattended to avoid becoming a victim of this kind of crime.
Vehicle owners have been warned to be extra vigilant and be attentive to where they park their cars and not to leave these vehicle unattended when the key is in the ignition!
We would like to urge vehicle owners to pay attention to vehicle security at all times!