THE risks of leaving vehicles at an unofficial car yard have been highlighted after a vehicle on the Mitchell Highway was damaged by arsonists over the weekend.
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The early model Holden Commodore station wagon was found burnt out on the inside.
The incident is not isolated: police have issued a number of warnings to car owners in recent months about the dangers of leaving a car overnight.
Unlike in some neighbouring cities, it is not illegal to leave a car for sale on the edge of the road in Bathurst.
But it is certainly risky, particularly after dark.
Chifley Local Area Command duty officer, Inspector Colin Cracknell, said the problem with leaving a car by the side of the road is that criminals can operate under the guise of potential buyers.
He said a person seen lurking around an unoccupied car normally raises suspicions – for example, in a car park.
But the situation is different if the car is parked by the side of the road in an unofficial car yard.
Inspector Cracknell said people leaving their cars at the side of a road do so at their own risk.
He said if people must sell their car in this way, they should at least only leave the car there during daylight hours.
“Although it’s probably inconvienient, police definitely recommend you take your car home before it gets dark, and then drop it off again in the morning,” he said.
He said many vehicles had been burnt out or been vandalised or broken into when left by the side of the road in the past 12 months.
In addition, Inspector Cracknell said cars left by the side of the road affected motorists’ vision.
“When cars are left on the corner or side of the road, or other cars pull up to have a look, often there can be six or eight cars by the side of the road, which can make it difficult to see the road or what’s happening,” he said.
