Minimize your chances of being a victim of car theft with these simple and basic tips writes Suzanne Keane
If someone breaks into your car it’s not just lost possessions that will cost you money – repairing damage done by the thief can also hurt your pocket. There are a few simple steps you can follow to try and reduce the chances of this happening.
Choose where you park carefully – park on a busy street or in attended car parks if you can. At night time make sure to park underneath bright lights.
Never leave valuables on display in a car. If your stereo has a removable faceplate take it with you when you leave the car – don’t just leave it in the glovebox! It’s also important never to leave anything with your name or address where it can be seen!
Of course, having your whole car stolen can be worse than just having it broken into –
The basics – With a small budget you can still invest in a steering wheel or handbrake lock. These may not be able to stop someone from taking your car but will certainly slow them down or hopefully make the thief give up!
Alarm – If you don’t have one as standard there are plenty of companies out there who can fit one for you. The level of security depends on your budget so do research to make sure you’re getting a bargain – some alarms will allow you to lock, unlock and start your car remotely from a smartphone!
Immobiliser – Like the Alarm if you haven’t got one already you can get an aftermarket immobiliser fitted. These are generally more effective than an alarm and won’t annoy your neighbours (You could also consider a silent alarm which makes no noise but will alert you by text message that something isn’t right).
Tracker – If your car is taken and you have a tracker fitted you can use GPS to see where it has been taken to. The accuracy and effectiveness of these can again depend on your budget – watch out for expensive subscription fees!
However, despite the advances in car security many cars are now stolen with the keys which makes alarms and immobilisers, no matter how advanced, pointless. Obviously you shouldn’t keep your keys anywhere inside the house where they are easily visible. It’s also important to consider that if someone is willing to break into your house for car keys its better that they find the keys and leave before they find you!! If you sleep upstairs leave the car keys on the bottom step of the stairs….
Suzanne Keane
24th February, 2014
