Tips to Prevent Car Theft

Tips to Prevent Car Theft

The worst case scenario: you’ve enjoyed a nice (socially distant) day with your pals, soaked up the gorgeous summer sun, and you’re headed back to where you parked your vehicle… only to find it’s not where you left it! With people staying home more due to COVID-19, there has been an increase in car theft across the nation (cnn.com). You shouldn’t have to worry about car theft, but unfortunately it can happen anywhere. To help soothe the stress, we’ve compiled a list of the best advice for decreasing your risk of vehicle theft!

Here is what we came up with based on advice from carriers:

1. Don’t leave your vehicle unattended while it’s running. You’re basically giving anyone who wants it the opportunity and the means to take your car, so make sure to either stay in your vehicle or turn it off and lock it up!

2. Don’t leave valuables or spare cash in your cup holder. This is a huge incentive for people to try and get into your If you must leave valuables in your vehicle, put them in the glove compartment or under your seats. You can also place valuables in your trunk if your trunk does not have a separate lock. If your vehicle has an exposed keyhole on your trunk, consider concealing your valued items with a coat in the backseat instead.

3. Don’t leave the keys in the ignition or leave the key fob in the vehicle when parked. This makes it so easy for someone to take your car, you might as well put a bow on it.

4. Allstate recommends not leaving you spare keys in the glovebox or another compartment. Is it convenient? Yes, but is it worth having your car stolen? Absolutely not.

5. Invest in a steering wheel lock. If it will take more time to steal your vehicle, that is a strong deterrent for car thieves. You want to make the idea of taking your car as unappealing as possible.

6. Park intelligently. If you can, try to park in a parking garage according to safewise.com. Whether it is your garage at home or a parking garage of a store, covered parking with surveillance can greatly reduce the risk of someone taking your vehicle. Ideally, try to find a well-lit garage, and put your car as close to the lights as possible.

7. Make sure all of your windows and rolled up and all of your doors are locked. Again, just making it more difficult for someone to gain access to your car drastically reduces the risk of it being stolen (usatoday.com).

8. Arm your vehicle with a security system or buy a vehicle with a security system.

9. Get outdoor security cameras. These are great, inexpensive additions to any home security system, and many are very easy to use. You can even find some cameras that broadcast to your mobile devices, so you can check on the status of your vehicles from anywhere in the world.

10. Install an ignition kill switch. Most kill switches work by “stopping the electrical flow from your ignition system, your battery or through a fuse that works on a needed part, like your fuel pump” according to Dashcameras.net.

These ten steps are super easy to implement, and honestly have a big impact on the safety and protection of your vehicles. Which tip did you find the most helpful? Was there one we missed? Let us know!