Family Safety Tips – Car Security
Chop shops are a booming business today. Vehicles are constantly being stolen, the professionals carrying out the thefts taking the cars to be stripped down and sold for parts. Auto theft isn’t about joyrides anymore and stealing cars is a lucrative crime. The owners of every make and model are at risk, not just those owning high-end luxury cars or fancy sports models. Police are working on the problem and here’s some of things you can do to protect your car from being stolen.
The first anti-theft measure involves the driver and not the vehicle itself. Experts suggest that, while having a spare key for your car is always a good idea, hiding an extra key somewhere on the vehicle isn’t the best thing to do. There are several versions of magnetic lockboxes on the market where spare keys can be attached on the undercarriage of the vehicle or hidden somewhere in a garage, but those who are in the know say hiding keys is asking for trouble and suggest the wise car owner keep extra car keys in his or her wallet.
Experts also suggest you lock your car doors and roll your windows up, even if you’re just stopping somewhere for a moment. Statistics show many vehicles were stolen when someone stopped to run into a corner store to grab something quickly. Also, don’t park behind hedges or fences or in unlit areas at night. You can decrease your chances of becoming the victim of auto theft by leaving the outside lights on in your driveway all night or by installing a motion sensitive unit that will light the area if anyone passes.
Thieves also like to slip into underground parking garages behind the cars entering those same areas. Police suggest that after you drive your car through an open gate in an underground parking, stop, and wait until the door closes behind you before you continue down the ramp. Often, a would-be thief will be put off by such diligence.
Some communities have developed programs to deter auto theft. These programs use special stickers that allow police to stop and question the driver of your car in the early morning hours between 1 and 5 am, which is the time that most auto thefts take place. Another good idea to protect your car is to engrave your driver’s licence number on your stereo equipment.
The average repair cost for a stolen vehicle is between one and five thousand dollars. Being diligent can save you the inconvenience of having to find another way around while the police try to locate your stolen vehicle and have a garage repair it. Considering the cost of those repairs, being careful can save you a considerable amount of cash by preventing the crime of auto theft in the first place.