DAVENPORT, Iowa (KWQC) – Cold weather will soon come to the Quad Cities. This means many days you may want to warm your car up, and you will likely need to scrape ice off your windows.
However, the Scott County Sheriff’s office says because it’s common for cars to be stolen in the area, people need to be cautious during the winter time. In the last six years, the Scott County Sheriff says they have seen an increase in car thefts in the area.
Sheriff Tim Lane says the Sheriff’s office put a focus on getting the cars back in a timely manner.
“So we have taken steps to help retrieve these cars quickly and you will see on some of the sheriff’s cars you will see devices that are reading the license plate and what we do is when that car is stolen, we enter the license plate right away so that we can try to recover that car as quickly as possible. So maybe we can discover it while it’s parked cause it’s going to be driven for a while but it’s going to be parked. As long as we can discover that car quickly and get it back to the owner, that lessens the chance the person can go back to it restart, take it, and go find more cars,” said Scott County Sheriff Tim Lane.
Because of the problem, Sheriff Lane wants the community to consider a few safety tips to help avoid becoming a victim.
Lane says the safest thing to do is to stay with your car as it’s warming up because thieves are looking for easy targets.
The second thing you can do is invest in a remote start for your car if you don’t already have one.
This allows you to start your car from inside your house, if someone tries to get in to drive off, once they press the brake the car will shut off, according to Lane.
Another effective method is buying a steering wheel lock for your car, but it’s often not convenient. The sheriff’s office says anyone’s car can get stolen but the Kia and Hyundai models are common targets if the thief is looking to manipulate the ignition system.
The sheriff’s office says to fight the issue of stolen cars, the community can help by calling 911, if they see any suspicious activity or have video. Callers can remain anonymous as well.
In icy conditions, if your vehicle’s defrost system doesn’t work there is another way to get the ice off your windows without the heat. You can use a de-icer on your car’s windows.
If you want to make your own, you can likely find all the supplies right in your home. According to AAA, you want to mix one part rubbing alcohol and two parts water in a spray bottle and spray it on your car’s windows.
The higher the purity of the alcohol the better it will work for melting the ice. AAA also says a few drops of dish soap added to the mixture will help coat the ice more evenly.
When the ice starts to melt use a plastic scraper, the windshield wipers, a rubber squeegee, or a soft bristle brush to remove it from the glass.
Meanwhile, AAA also says there are a few things you shouldn’t do.
Don’t use a metal scraper as that can scratch the glass and damage wiper blades. Also don’t use hot water to melt the ice, as that can crack the glass by causing thermal shock.
Lastly, AAA says don’t tap on the ice with any kind of tool to try and break it up. Two ice-preventative methods you can use are putting a tarp, large towel, or old sheet over the windshield, and if available, parking your car in a garage.
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