Personal Security

Practice Personal Security for Your Car With These 5 Tips to Prevent Break-ins

By April 28, 2015 April 6th, 2021 No Comments

There’s a lot we can do to protect our homes, but we’re a society that also spends a lot of time on the road, in and with our cars. And our cars can be tempting targets to thieves in the same way our homes can. So extend your personal security thinking to include your car (or cars if your family has more than one), to protect that asset and any belongings that might be in it as well, by following these five tips.

Increase the precautions
Tip 1: Even if you’re only hopping out of your car “for a minute,” you need to lock the doors and roll up the windows. As one former car thief points out, it only takes seconds to break into a car and steal something. Locking your door might seem like a hassle if you’re going to be quick, but losing your personal property to a thief is a bigger hassle, believe me.

Tip 2: Park in a well-lit, exposed area when away from home, under a streetlight if possible. When home, make sure your exterior lighting deters anyone from being tempted by your car (or your house or your garage or anything else on your property). See our home security lighting tips.

Decrease the temptations
Tip 3: Car thieves aren’t usually looking to steal things for their own use, but for items they can sell for money. Tops on this list is equipment like stereos and GPS systems. Personal security experts suggest only buying stereos with detachable faces so you can either take it with you or put it in your glove box. Any other equipment that could be stolen and sold needs to be tucked out of sight.

Tip 4: Don’t keep anything in your car where it can be seen. If you need to store something, put it in the trunk, but try to do that before you get to your destination so no one will see what you’re putting into the trunk…and be tempted.

Invest in an alarm
Tip 5: Just like a home security sign in front of your house acts as a deterrent to a would-be burglar, a red blinking light inside your car can cause a thief to think twice before breaking your car window or jerry rigging your lock. If an alarm is more than your budget can manage right now, a fake car alarm can be yours for just a few dollars, and that blinking red light can be warning enough. Even if the thief doesn’t know for sure you have an alarm that will go off in an instant, they know there’s a chance, and it’s not usually one they want to take!

Sadly, security is something we must be mindful of at all times, at home and on the road. The good news is, commonsense and preventive steps can offer a great deal of protection without a lot of effort!

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