When you park your car, you just take for granted that it is going to be right where you left it when you return. And, of course, that is how it works almost each and every time. Unfortunately, there is a small possibility that your car will be stolen, and you will be shocked to walk out with your keys in your hand only to find no vehicle anywhere in sight. With this article, we want to offer you some simple tips that can help reduce the chances of you becoming a victim of this kind of crime.
Lock the Doors!
Okay - so this is a pretty obvious place to start, but it needs to be said nonetheless. When you leave your vehicle, be sure to lock the doors behind you. There is really no excuse to skip this step, as most vehicles today have remote door locks, meaning you just have to press a button as you walk away to make sure it's locked up.
A big part of avoiding becoming a victim of a crime - no matter what type of crime it is - comes down to making things harder for the criminal. Sure, the criminal could still pick the door lock or break a window to get in, but why bother with that when it's possible to just keep looking for another vehicle that isn't locked? By taking the simple step of locking your doors, you will be putting an important barrier between a prospective thief and the driver's seat of your car.
One more point that needs to be made on this topic - it's important to lock your doors anytime you are going to leave the vehicle, even if you are at home. Some people take more precaution when they are out in public, only to leave the doors unlocked while the vehicle is in their driveway. Don't take that chance. It takes just the push of a button to lock it up, so why not?
Park Strategically
When you park your car at home, you probably don't have much choice as to where it sleeps. You park it in the driveway, in the garage, or maybe along the street by your house. When out around town, however, you will have a variety of options available to you while looking for a place to park and leave your vehicle. And, believe it or not, where you park can play a role in how likely it is that your vehicle will be stolen.
For starters, do your best to park in a place where your vehicle will be in the light. Criminals, generally speaking, hate light. They want to operate under the cover of darkness, for less chance of being discovered in the act. In a parking lot, try to park under a light, or at least as close to one as you can. Or, out on the street, look for a street light that will keep your vehicle easily visible at night.
When parking at a business, try to park up as close to the front of the business as you can. That is the area which is likely to have the most traffic, and therefore it will not be as attractive to criminals. More likely, a car thief is going to work near the back of the lot, staying out of the way and not drawing too much attention. There are no guarantees here, of course, but being near the front of the lot and under a light is going to go a long way toward keeping your car safe.
Don't Leave Anything of Value
Yes - this is an article about how to avoid having your car stolen, not about how to avoid getting things stolen from your car. However, those two can go together, as it might be something left on the seat that attracts a criminal to your vehicle in the first place. For instance, if something of value has been left on the passenger seat - a cell phone, a purse, etc. - a criminal may decide to try and break in if the opportunity presents itself. From there, the criminal will be inside the vehicle and may decide to see if it will start. Don't even invite this kind of criminal activity near your car. Take anything valuable out of the car when it is parked, or at least hide those things out of sight.
A Patient Warm Up
One of the classic car theft scenarios is the one where the vehicle owner goes out on a cold morning, starts the vehicle to warm it up and defrost the windows, and then goes back inside to wait. While the owner is inside, the criminal simply hops into the driver's seat and takes off. It's a relatively simple crime, as long as the opportunity presents itself.
Quite obviously, what you can do here is not give the criminal that opportunity in the first place. Resist the temptation to warm the car up while you are inside doing other things. Instead, just sit in the car and wait for a minute or two while it warms up and gets ready to go. That might be a little inconvenient, but it's not nearly as much of a hassle as dealing with everything that comes along with having your vehicle stolen. Letting a criminal have access to a running vehicle is just asking for trouble, so don't even go there.
With any luck, you'll never have to deal with the frustration, and inconvenience, that comes along with having your car stolen. While some of this comes down to nothing more than luck, you can do your part by making smart decisions and taking simple preventative measures.
Thank you for stopping by the Taylor & Sons Chevrolet blog. If you would like to shop for a new vehicle, or if you have service needs to be met, contact us right away for assistance. We look forward to seeing you!