Nowadays, as new technology is being developed, thieves are getting easier ways to steal vehicles. They use smart keys, etc. making it a kid's job for them. Thus, we need to take high-security measures to prevent us from becoming victims of car theft.
Reading Time: 6 minutesSafety should be our key point in everything when it comes to our lives. We should make sure our homes, cars and basically everything is installed with security systems that will protect not only us but also prevent our things/vehicles from getting stolen.
To save yourself from the stress that comes with auto theft, here are a few steps you can take:
1. Secure your car keys
This may seem like the most obvious thing, but make sure you’ve kept your car keys in a safe spot, not only the original one but the spare ones as well because getting hold of any of the car keys would be the easiest way for a thief to steal your car as using car keys won’t even trigger the alarm.
When you’re outside running errands, make sure you’ve your key with you at all times. Along with this, at night keep your key with you as well instead of the front gate because that would be easier access if the thief breaks into the house only to get the keys and drive off easily.
Criminals who’ve been doing this for very long, have different techniques through which they can take the keys from near the front door through the letterbox itself, thus don’t keep the key anywhere in sight.
2. Hide your valuables
Try not to leave anything expensive like your wallet, purses, or cellphones in the passenger seat or dashboard as this would become a reason more for thieves to break into your car. The more attractive your car looks to the thief, the higher chances of it being stolen than the other cars.
Thus, whenever you are about to leave your car take everything with you or at least put it in a place that can’t be spotted by anyone passing by.
Most importantly, don’t leave any sort of documents out in the open like the proof of registration. Keep it out of sight at all times because getting hold of this would just give a higher success attempt to the thief.
3. Install a car alarm
This is a great step towards securing your car as it will alert you any time some unauthorized person tries to Meddle with your vehicle. New car alarms have high-end security features like mobile notifications immediately in case you’re away from your house or wherever your car is parked.
Newer cars are installed with a factory alarm system but the older versions don’t have it so you should get it installed yourself to stay protected.
The only disadvantage of this is that nowadays people don’t get buzzed when a car alarm starts because of the numerous false alarms that go around. So when thinking of getting one, try to get an expensive high-quality alarm that won’t get triggered by things like a simple hand on the hood of the car.
The alarm itself won’t protect your car from getting stolen but can alert you or other bystanders that something suspicious is going around.
4. Install steering wheel lock
This is an easy way to secure your car from being stolen. You can get the basic one that would not be costly or pay more to get one with much more advanced features. The steering wheel lock fits perfectly on the steering wheel thus preventing it from getting stolen. You can get them in bright visible colors as well so that it can discourage burglars from stealing your car.
5. Fit a car immobiliser, especially if you’ve an old car
This is a device that will prevent the car from getting started by anything other than the proper key fob. It will disable the systems of the car that are needed to start the vehicle. The latest cars come installed with a standard immobilizer. However, you can get one installed in the older vehicles as well.
Most thieves actually try to steal older cars because their anti-theft system isn’t up to date thus getting a good immobilizer in your car would be a smart decision if you have a classic car.
6. Park in a secured area
Try not to park in areas that are empty or in the dark as it will be easier for it to get stolen having no one around. Parking your car in the garage would not only prevent it from getting stolen but also save it from any weather damage like hail, falling branches, etc.
If you don’t have a garage and have to park it on the street, then park it somewhere where there is security and good lighting so that the thieves will be discouraged to break in.
The one thing that thieves look at when deciding to break in is by seeing how easy it would be and what kind of security measures are taken. The more difficult it is to steal the car, the lesser chances of the attempt of a break-in.
7. Lock your car
This may seem like it’s obvious or doesn’t need to be told but a lot of times when you’re in a hurry you forget to lock your car or at times you think you locked it but in reality, you didn’t. An unlocked car would be the best opportunity for a thief to steal your car.
So even if you’re getting off for a small stop at the gas station, double-check whether your car is locked or not. Sometimes, people even forget their key in the car which is the stupidest thing to do as it will pave way for car theft. Manually check whether your car is locked or not even if you hear the lock sound go off.
Along with this, make sure all windows and sunroofs are closed as well because it becomes easier to break-in.
8. VIN etching
This is a very cheap but effective method to protect your car, even if your car didn’t come etched, you can still do it.
The steps are pretty simple, all you’ve to do is engrave a special vehicle ID on different parts of your car like doors, frames, etc so that it can be detected instantly. Whenever a thief noticed a car is etched, they will most probably leave that car and move on to the next.
Even if this doesn’t protect your car from getting stolen, it will still make it easier to get your car back by the police. If your car gets stolen, immediately report it to the police and provide the special ID as well.
9. Use wheel clamps
This is another cheap way to get your car secured. All you’ve to do is attach these clamps onto the wheel in a Y-shaped lock, so this will stop the car from moving completely. This process only takes a few minutes, although they cannot be removed without special tools and make lots of noise as well.
Wheel clamps are also very bright in color so can be seen easily by everyone passing by. This will add difficulty to stealing your car thus might decrease the chances of your car being stolen.
This will not only protect your entire car but also prevent your car tires from being stolen as well.
10. Get a GPS car tracker
All of the above steps are important to prevent your car from being stolen but in case all of them don’t work and your car still ends up getting stolen. Then having a GPS car tracker will make it easier to track where your car is at all times.
New GPS car trackers also come with features like mobile notification systems that will alert you if anything suspicious happens.
