If you own a car then there’s always a risk that, regardless of what it is or how old it is, the car itself or items in it could be stolen by a thief. Drivers can minimise the chances of this ever happening, however, if they are conscious enough about security. Here’s our easy-to-follow and effective tips to avoid becoming a victim of car theft.
Keep doors locked, windows closed
Keeping your doors locked may seem like an obvious thing to recommend, but it’s a point that should never be neglected. Whenever you’ve gotten out of your car and started moving away from it, have you always been certain that you locked it? There’s no harm in double checking.
Traditionally, modern cars will give a visual confirmation that they’ve been locked by flashing their indicators. When you press the lock button on your key, check that the indicators do indeed flash. If this isn’t noticed, then it could be a sign that the car hasn’t locked properly, so check the door just to be sure.
If the car isn’t locking when prompted, then this issue could potentially be the work of a car thief. Reports from security experts have indicated that some thieves use remote locking jammers to target cars from a short distance away, keeping the car unlocked and making it vulnerable once the driver leaves it.
Some motorists may be tempted to leave at least one window open in their car, particularly during hot summer days. This should be avoided as much as possible, however, since even just one window open can make a car thief’s job a whole lot easier.
Remove or hide items in the car
A thief is more likely to target a car if they know what they can get from it.
If you’ve got anything valuable with you such as a wallet, cash, phones, sat-navs or jewellery, you’re always better off taking it with you than leaving it in the car. Even a bag, coat or jumper may be targeted by car thieves since they know there may be something valuable within them.
If you do intend to leave any valuables in your car then avoid leaving them on display, such as on the seats where they are obvious to spot. Tuck items away in the glove compartment or under the seats or in a cubby hole. Somewhere where it’s at least obscured.
Never leave the car running unattended
Leaving your car while the engine is still running may sound like an obvious thing to avoid, but it is something people do from time to time, particularly during the winter.
On cold winter mornings when car windscreens get frosty, some drivers are tempted to leave their car running unattended to warm up and de-ice itself. However, car thieves are aware of this practice and aren’t afraid to opportunistically jump into a car when the owner isn’t looking. This type of theft has become common enough to be given the term ‘frosting’, but it’s easy to avoid yourself as long as you stay in the car when it’s running.
Outside of winter, some drivers may decide leave the car running if they are popping into somewhere briefly that’s a short walk away. But even this small window of opportunity is enough for some car thieves to take advantage. Even if you see a thief entering your car before they drive away, that doesn’t mean they won’t be willing to run you down if you try and stop them.
Park wisely
Where exactly you park your car has a big effect in protecting it from theft. Assuming you don’t have a secure garage or driveway, you’re going to want to leave your car as close to your home or place of work as close as possible while you’re at either place. Therefore, you or someone in the building will hopefully see the car out of a window if anything untoward were to happen.
Wherever you are, you’ll ideally park somewhere where it is well lit or in view of a security camera at night. Cars can be targeted by thieves even in busy town centres, but you’re less likely to fall victim if members of the public can see your car clearly as they pass by on foot.
Lock the steering wheel
There are a lot of stores from which you can buy a steering wheel lock which, without the key to unlock it, stops anyone from using a car’s steering wheel properly. These locks are not entirely unstoppable against a thief, but they can serve as an additional deterrent in addition to the car’s alarm and possibly an immobiliser too.
Consider a tracking device
Even if the worst comes to fruition and your car gets stolen, you may still see it again if you’ve got a GPS tracking device on it.
Many luxury cars will have tracking devices onboard as standard, but you can also buy them from third party groups. Most of them do cost hundreds of pounds, but high quality examples can track your car’s exact location and past movements over one or several days.
Some car thieves, aware of the use of tracking devices, may leave a vehicle they’ve just stolen in a secluded spot for at least a few days. While this period allows the thief to cover their tracks, it at least gives the police a chance to recover the vehicle.