New York drivers already have to contend with some of the most congested roadways in the world, but that’s not their only enemy. During the winter months, when temperatures drop, the city’s next most abundant resource, rats and rodents, start looking for some place warm to spend their nights and a nice warm engine block makes a great bed.

That’s right. Rats. In your car. While drivers sleep in their beds, rats nest in their cars, often gnawing away at wires, upholstery, pipes, anything they can get their teeth into. This type of damage is often difficult to notice right away, meaning you might hop in your car and drive away, not realizing a rat has chewed through your radiator hose, draining all the fluid, which quickly leads to engine overheating. As far as the damage to your interior this is expensive to fix and not as detrimental the operation of your vehicle, but it quickly can become a health and safety issue.

For New York drivers looking to avoid this type of damaging infestation they don’t have many choices. First and foremost they might want to consider using common mothballs to keep the rodents away. Believe it or not, mothballs are a great way to keep the little critters from finding comfort in your car. Of course, this also means that the drivers themselves will need to also deal with the horrible smell.

Once you have a rat or rodent infestation in your vehicle it is difficult to make them go away. In all likelihood you will need to contact a local pest control agent and have your vehicle professionally treated. They will need to remove all traces of the rodent infestation and treat your vehicle against further infestation. Although they can fix your problem, the fix is costly, and honestly, there is no guarantee the little rodents won’t come right back the first chance they get.

You might be the best defensive driver in New York, but the fact is, nothing can protect you if you are targeted by rats.