How to keep your vehicle safe from theft

Most families have been feeling the pinch recently, and things are only likely to get tougher in the coming months as the weather turns colder and the cost of heating our homes and putting food on the table increases. That’s why it’s even more important than ever for us to protect the high-value items we own. Theft of vehicles is rife at the moment, but there are lots of things we can do to keep our vehicles safe.

Park your vehicle in a secure location overnight

Night time is the time when most thefts occur. The darkness provides the thieves with cover and there are fewer people around to see them in action. So, it’s really important to park your car as securely as possible overnight.

Choose a well-lit spot near your house

Our first home was a terraced house without a driveway, and we had to park our car on the road. We would always try to park our car as close to our house as possible and underneath the streetlight.

If you do live on a similar street, it’s not always easy to park right outside your house, but try to park as close as you can so that you’re more likely to hear any disturbances during the night.

Park on the driveway if you can

The driveway is the safest place to park your vehicle overnight. If you can, it’s worth installing gates and making sure you lock these overnight to make it that bit harder for thieves to strike. One of our neighbours has installed security bollards at the end of their drive and I believe they get cheaper car insurance as the bollards make it so much harder for thieves to steal their cars. The bollards need to be unlocked with a key before they can be folded down.

Make your vehicle difficult to steal

Car thieves will be looking for the easiest car to steal. They want to be in and out as quickly as possible so make your car as difficult as you can to steal. Even something as simple as using a car cover could be enough to deter a thief who wants to get into a car quickly.

Most vehicles these days are fitted with an alarm as standard. There are lots of other devices you can use to add an extra level of security.

• Steering lock – a steering lock is a device that fits over your steering wheel to prevent it being turned. These can be really effective at preventing car theft. They’re clearly visible within the car and will make a thief think twice – they’re far more likely to break into a car without a steering lock!
• Wheel clamp – although we’re all probably used to seeing these on cars that have parked where they shouldn’t or are parked up without tax or insurance, you can actually buy your own wheel clamp to fit to your car as a security device. A thief isn’t going to want to spend time in full site trying to remove a wheel clamp before they can steal your car.
• Faraday pouch – thieves have got so much smarter and they have clever ways to copy your car key’s signal. A Faraday pouch blocks the signal, so thieves can’t copy it. They’re relatively cheap to buy and are really effective.
• Keep your car key out of sight and out of easy reach. So simple, yet so effective! We keep our keys inside a kitchen cupboard so they’re not in sight and they can’t be stolen by a thief using a hook through the letter box.

Install a tracking device

Sadly, even if you install every single security device to your car, a thief could still strike. Installing a tracking device to your car means that you will be able to see where your car is and alert the police immediately. You’re far more likely to be able to get your vehicle back if it’s being tracked.

I’ve recently been using the Allround finder 4G GPS tracker from PAJ GPS. I chose this particular device as it’s small and can be used for all kinds of different things. So, we can put it in our luggage when we go on holiday, I can have it in my laptop bag with my MacBook when I’m working, or we can use it in the car. This tracker has a motion detector so it will alert me via an app as soon as it detects any movement.

For the purpose of the photo, I’ve shown the tracker sitting in the centre console, but it’s usually kept out of sight so it’s not obvious and won’t just be thrown out of the car by a potential car thief.

This particular tracker works on a subscription basis, so you do need to make a monthly payment in order to keep it working. But, it’s only a small amount and perfectly reasonable for the peace of mind it gives. You can also get trackers from PAL GPS specifically for tracking vehicles if that’s all you want to use it for. Having a vehicle tracker can bring down your insurance premium, so it’s really worth looking into.

*This is a collaborative post.