With the dark mornings and evenings still hanging around, it means our cars are still at risk of being a victim of theft! See how you can protect your vehicle on a day to day basis, whether you're out and about or in the comfort of your home:
As trivial as it sounds be sure to hide any valuables before you leave your car and keep them out of sight. Putting them in your glove compartment, under your seat or in the boot of your car will avoid them being seen.
· In car parks, especially after shopping, we’re eager to unlock the car as soon as possible to avoid the hassle of finding our keys when we get to the car. But unlocking your car before you reach it gives thieves a longer period of time to access valuables and make a run for it, especially if your boot opens automatically. Be sure to only unlock your car when you get to it to prevent any risk of theft. If you’re waiting in a carpark be sure to keep your doors locked and be observant of anyone around your car.
· Don’t leave your keys lying around! This can apply to any situation, whether you’re out for dinner and leave your keys on the table or if you’re at a friend’s house, as you may not know everyone around you. Making your keys visible can mean a greater risk of them being taken. With modern technology it is also good to be security conscious about code grabbing from your keyless entry, are you being watched while unlocking/locking your car?
· Don’t fall into the habit of hanging up your keys next to doors or windows at home. Thieves use a ‘fishing’ method where they insert a hook through a letter box or window and search for keys. This can even be done when you’re at home and you may not even notice until you look for your keys and find that you’ve “lost” them. Make sure you put your keys somewhere safe and secure, and far away from windows and doors. To prevent code grabbing for keyless entry cars you could also store your key in an RFID protection case/pouch to stop anyone outside your property being able to read the signals from it.
· Is your parking space secluded? If you will be returning to the car late or alone make sure you stay alert and park it in an area which is well lit or in a well populated/busy area. If you’re parked in an underground/multi-storey car park be sure to know where multiple entrances/exits are.
· It’s crucial you never leave your car running whilst going back indoors to pick something up or wait for your car to warm-up/defrost in the winter months. Whether at home or outside a shop it will only take an opportunist a few seconds to drive away
· The last of our parking safety tips is to choose your parking neighbours wisely. In a busy car park, we normally go for the first space we can find. But have you thought about what’s parked beside you? The potential of damage is greater if the vehicle you park beside is already full of dents and scrapes.
Read more of our parking guides here:
How to Avoid or Reduce Parking Ticket Fines
For more CarCliq guides click here.
