5 More Ways to Prevent Being a Victim of Car Theft
Lock Your Doors & Roll up Windows
No one wants to be an easy target, so always remember to lock your car doors. Leaving your car unlocked or windows down while it’s unattended just invites thieves, who will most certainly look to see if your window is down –and remember – even slightly opened windows can be forced down completely to gain entry.
Never Leave Your Keys in the Car
Never, ever, leave your key(s) in the car! While it may seem safe to keep your engine running in your driveway to let it warm up on those frosty winter mornings, or idle in a parking lot while you run into the local convenience store, in reality, it only takes a few seconds for a thief to steal your car.
Buy an Alarm System
You may want to invest in a car alarm. OnStar, GPS and Lojack tracking systems are great methods for safety and they can help recover stolen vehicles much faster than ones without such devices.
Hide Valuables
To deter thieves from stealing any personal property inside the vehicle, be sure to never leave anything of value in your car where it can easily be seen. If a criminal sees something of value as they pass by, they will be tempted to force entry. If you must leave valuables in the vehicle, the trunk is the safest place for storage, however remember that even the trunk is still accessible with the right tools.
Park in Well Lit Areas
The safest places to park your vehicle is near other cars, in front of homes or businesses, and in well lit areas. Taking these precautions can help keep you and your vehicle safe and prevent you from becoming a victim of GTA (Grand Theft Auto) and vandalism.
To see if your vehicle is on the “most wanted list,” check out our Top 10 Most Commonly Stolen Vehicles in 2009.
Loading ...
Apparently, there was something of interest to someone in my car and thiefs tried to get in while I was at work. Fortunately the car devised its own secruity system, the handle broke off so the would be thief was not able to get in. Unfortunately, we had to replace the door handle though.
Hi NT – Thanks for sharing your story. I’m glad it was just the door handle that needed to be replaced and that things didn’t end up much worse for you.