People who start their cars to defrost the ice from their windshield each morning, and return to the comfort of their homes, are giving thieves an opportunity to steal their car.   This happened to the American Red Cross in Springfield, when an employee, ventured out into the cold at 6:30 in the morning, started his company truck, and within a few minutes, it was gone.  The Missouri Insurance Information Service, Government Affairs Director, Brent Butler, says it’s important to keep a constant vigil on your vehicle, if you insist to leave it running unattended:

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Butler says it’s the “garden variety” vehicle types that are stolen, because the parts are interchangeable.  He says a statistic by the Missouri Highway Patrol showed over 15,000 cars were reported stolen in Missouri alone, costing the insurance companies an estimated $97-million dollars a year in Missouri alone. Butler said the commonly stolen vehicle in Missouri is the Ford Taurus.