Theft from automobiles is popular around the World. In most cases, the thef enter the automobiles to take away valuable things. There are suitable steps we can take to reduce the chances of being a victim of such an despicable crime. Simple but very effective techniques to reduce the chances of you being a victim of vehicle theft. Common sense and simple tips is all you need to make your vehicle more secure.
Be careful where you park. If you are parking in a large supermarket car park then try and park in full view of the entrance or where people are coming and going. If this is not possible then park the vehicle in full view. This may mean parking further away but it will still be visible should anyone act suspicious near it. Criminals can avoid detection if they are tampering with a vehicle that is obstructed by another.
If you are parking at night then try and park near suitable lighting. Underneath street lamps are a good place and near the entrance and exits of multi-story car parks. Remoe vehicles in quiet corners of these car parks are more vulnerable because they act as shield.
If your car has an alarm then you should always make sure it’s on when you leave the vehicle. It’s amazing how many people fail to do this just because they are making a very quick journey from the vehicle. Making sure your alarm is on is a habit you need to get into each time you leave the vehicle no matter how long you will be away. A drivers side alarm sticker is also a very basic deterrent that works. It just shows to any car thief that this car is alarmed, this maybe enough for them to choose another vehicle to focus on.
A small LED light is worth having on the dashboard. Most car alarms have these but if yours doesn’t then you can get one of these lights from any electrical store. This small LED light is very noticeable to any car thief.
Never leave your vehicle unattended with the engine running. Many people do this when they park outside the shops to buy a newspaper or an other small purchase. Another busy time for car crime is in the winter months when window screens are frosted over and the owners leave the car running with the heated window option on to defrost the vehicle while they are inside getting ready to go out. A few seconds is all a criminal needs to drive away.
A mechanical steering and gear lever device is a god deterrent. Many criminals want to break into your car and be away in seconds. These steering and gear lever locks are perfect because they do take a while to be removed which will cause a delay for the thief.
Don’t leave any contents in your vehicle when you leave it parked. Avoid laptops, handbags and even your CD collection and player. If they can be removed place them out of sight. Never leave bags in the vehicle even though they maybe empty. It may look curious and tempting to a thief like they could contain some valuables. While most people remember to remove any portable satnav device they forget about the mounting bracket on the front windscreen. This just confirms to a criminal that you have a satnav and it is probably still somewhere in the vehicle.
Get your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) etched into all of your windscreens. This would cause problems for any car thief who was considering taking your car and cloning it with another to resell on the market.
Never leave any vehicle identification papers inside the car. If you get stopped by the police then you can produce these at the police station later. If a criminal gets hold of them it can have serious consequences such as the selling of the vehicle without your consent or even identity theft.
Simple steps and common sense is all that is needed to protect your vehicle against car thieves. There are no foolproof methods here but recommendations to reduce the chance of theft. The small steps you take may make a thief move on and focus on another target which does not have the level of anti-theft protection you have in place.
Preventing Auto Theft in Vehicle
