How to Protect Your Vehicle From Theft

Car break-ins are all too common these days. No matter if you park it on a street or in your driveway, your car is vulnerable to theft. If you live in a city, your car is in even more danger. Countless numbers of thieves break into cars on a daily basis, searching for money, valuables, or even stereos (though new technology has made the latter less common). Some may even outright steal it.

Protect Your Car Applying These Steps

If you're wondering what you can do to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of car theft, look no further. Here are some tips:

Place an Alarm Sticker or LED Light On It

Even if your car doesn't have an alarm system, which it really should, you can deter a would-be theft by placing a prominent alarm stick on it where they can see it. This will make people much more hesitant to attempt to break in to your vehicle.

An even better option is to place a blinking LED light in it. The point is to include visual cues that will give the illusion that your car is protected.

Don't Leave Any Visible Valuables Inside

You'd be surprised at how often people make this mistake. You should never, under no circumstances, leave any valuables in your vehicle that are visible from the outside. Even a shopping bag that's full of garbage shouldn't be left inside, since thieves could think that there's something valuable inside of it.

While you shouldn't leave any valuables in it whatsoever, if you really have to, leave it in the glove box or deep under the seat, even if you're only parking temporarily to go inside a store or a shopping mall.

Lock the Steering Wheel in Place

You should place one of the many devices that are available, like the Club, on the steering wheel. Car thieves will know that you've taken the necessary steps to protect your car and will be less likely to break in as a result. They'll most likely look for easier targets.

Park in a Safe and Well-lit Area

This may be easier said than done at times, but you should try and park in an area that seems safe and well-lit. At the very least, make sure that it's visible. Thieves do not want to be exposed. Don't park on a side street if you can and try to park in a place where there's usually a lot of vehicle traffic and foot traffic.

Maintain Your Vehicle

If anything is broken, fix it, including broken windows or mirrors. Make sure that it's always clean as well. Having a well-maintained and clean car will work in your favor because thieves will think that it's also more protected as well. You don't want to patch up a broken window with cardboard or put ducktape on a door.

Of course, the main way to protect your vehicle is to make sure that it has an alarm system set up. But by following the above tips, you'll protect your vehicle even more!