One lesson which should be learnt by drivers is not just to ensure that CashCards are not left in the in-vehicle unit (IU) but also that it is best not to use IU covers with hinged lids at all. Get rid of them for they only invite trouble.

This cover is a silly device which has been popularised in the mistaken notion that if you hide the CashCard from view, thieves will think there is no card in the IU. In fact, more than 90 per cent of the time, if the lid is closed, there should be a CashCard inside as the driver will leave it there for convenience. They are only taken out occasionally to top up the stored value.

And some drivers always leave one inside the IU as they have another card available for top-up.

The thief will think he has a very high chance of finding a CashCard under the cover.

If none of the 22 cars had IU covers, perhaps the thief would have smashed far fewer windscreens - only those with a CashCard clearly visible in the IU.

In writing the letter, 'Look into redesigning in-vehicle unit' (ST, Feb 11), Mr Eric Tham Kwok Kwong has made a suggestion the Land Transport Authority (LTA) should look into. But until a trouble-free new model is available and all existing IUs have been replaced free of charge, my suggestion to remove the cover is still sound.

The second lesson is to call the police as soon as it is apparent a suspect is smashing car windows. In this case, a resident was reported to have heard a noise coming from the multi-storey carpark and from his flat window, and saw the suspect carrying a long, umbrella-shaped tool, near one of the cars. I wonder if he called the police while walking to the carpark to investigate. There was no sign of the suspect by the time he got there.

Ong Hong Bee