Prevent Car Thefts
How many of you out there have had an experience of their vehicles being stolen? A large number I guess, and trust me, you do not want this happening to you. During my history of working in the sales of motor vehicles, I’ve encountered many cases amongst my customer’s, who had their vehicles stolen.
This scenario can swing two ways; One, maybe I will get a repeat order from that client, Two, the client (who is very depressed) would still have to continue contributing to his loan for the next six months before he gets his claim from the Insurer’s and this is always the saddest part. Imagine you not having a car, but you still have to pay for that car loan.
Anyway, this is a worldwide crime that affects car owners and it is also one of the reasons why insurance rates go up. From my observations, you’re probably better off trying this :
- Don’t ever hide your keys (spare) in your car. There are those who keep them above the sun visor, underneath the seats, under the floor mats and from any other place you currently hide them in your car. We all know that criminals are lawbreakers, but they are definitely not silly (in fact they are smarter than us). Any spot that you may have considered to be safe, has already been thought of by a number of thieves lurking around.
- Always park your car with the windows closed and the doors locked, no matter where you park. This would be a good idea even if you park your car in a locked garage or inside the gated premise of your home. When things are harder for a thief, the better your chances of keeping what belongs to you.
- Never leave valuables in your car. Briefcase, Handbags, Pouch, Laptop Carrying Bag’s are all a Big No No. If you absolutely must have something valuable in your car, eg. packages from a shopping trip you’ve just made, don’t leave them visible. Cover any valuables up with a coat, blanket, or other suitable camouflage.
- Install an additional alarm/immobiliser, if it’s possible. Currently all new cars come with the state of the art security installations. (Read your warranty book well, before you do any modifications) Many of my customer’s still prefer to further enhance their vehicles security systems. In doing so, they feel an added sense of security in it’s capabilities of preventing car thefts.
- Always park your car in areas that are well-lit at night. Avoid parking your vehicles in areas that are known to be high-crime areas or places that are desolate and not travelled much. If possible, choose a parking lot that has an attendant rather than an unattended one.
- Do not leave your car running at any time unless you are in the driver’s seat. Thefts can and do occur easily when people leave their cars running. This can happen at a gas station, grocery store, almost anywhere you might leave your car running for even a minute. This can even happen in your own driveway. You should always be inside, waiting for your car to warm up. When you get out of the car, make sure the keys are in your hand and not somewhere else, such as in the ignition, where a car thief can easily get a hold of them. (but thanks to innovation, there are signal’s from the cars nowadays alerting you to remove the keys, after you’ve switched off the ignition) In other words, you gotta be deaf, to still leave it there.
- Make sure your key ring does not have your car’s license number, your name or address, or the description of your car listed on it somewhere. This always happens when you send in your car to the workshop and they normally put a label on it, marked with some of the cars details, eg. number plate/model etc. Imagine if this particular key goes missing and you did not remove that label, it makes things so much easier for the criminal.
I’m sure, there are plenty of other ways of preventing car theft’s from happening, but in my honest opinion, these could be the main ones. If you have other way’s of preventing car theft’s, feel free to add in your input here and let’s share the knowledge.
