Southern Colorado gets creative to keep their cars safe from hail

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) - Like curing the common cold, everyone's got their own way to protect their cars and homes from hail. Obviously, the best solution is a garage, but not everyone has that luxury.

A few cars were being protected by a fancy hail protector, but others had to get a little more creative.

Driving through Fountain neighborhoods, KRDO13 saw people getting creative. There were patio seat cushions covering windows, blankets over windshields, and rugs over the top of cars held down by bricks.

But nothing was more creative than Chris Martin's setup.

Martin has moving blankets on top of thick rubber mats protecting his front and back windshields. Those are being held down by cables and some rocks, plus a sheet of plywood.

He says it might draw some weird looks from neighbors, but it's worth it if it means he doesn't have to get a new windshield.

"I've come up with a very elaborate example because I've been doing this for years. You just [have] to be proactive. It's better to be safe than sorry. Maybe the storm completely misses our home tonight, but I'd rather have it there than not," Martin said.

However, even if his home and car remain safe, Martin is still worried that his insurance premiums will go up even if he doesn't make a claim.

"I find it hard to believe that they would not increase it if this storm pans out, like everyone's thinking. A lot of people are going to get damaged. Their homes, their cars. So I'm already anticipating that next year they're going to hit us again," Martin said. He added that he hasn't made a claim on his home since 2018, yet his payments go up year after year.

Stay up to date with the latest local news, sports, and investigations by downloading the KRDO13 app. Click here to download it from the Apple App Store. Android users can download it from Google Play here.