Some Tips on Minimizing the Risk of Your Vehicle Being Broken Into or Stolen

Keep it inside a locked garage with an armed guard and Doberman on duty! Or, drive a car that nobody would want to steal.

Seriously, there are some common sense precautions you can use to minimize the risk of your vehicle being stolen or broken into:

Never leave the keys in the ignition, and never leave the engine running while you run into a store or drop something off. You car might not be there when you come back, and you might even be issued a ticket for such stupidity!

Always lock your car, even when running short errands to the grocery store or leaving your car in your own driveway. A car thief will walk right up to an unlocked car in broad daylight, hop in and be gone in 30 seconds. Locking the doors won't prevent him from breaking into or stealing your car, but it will slow him down and may discourage him enough to pick on someone else's car.

Never leave valuables (purses, briefcases, radar detectors, money, portable electronic devices, leather coats, etc.) in plain view. They encourage thieves to break in and help themselves. Either take the valuables with you or lock them out-of-sight in the luggage compartment.

Avoid parking where you have to leave your keys with a valet or parking attendant. It's a simple matter to make a duplicate key and steal your car later. Use self-park facilities where possible.

Park in well-lighted areas, preferably where there are people and/or traffic nearby. This discourages casual thieves from breaking and entering.

If you're installing an expensive stereo system in your vehicle, think hard about getting a "pull-out" unit that can be removed for safe-keeping if you have to park the vehicle outside. Or at least buy a radio that has a theft-deterrent code that makes it inoperable if somebody rips it out of your dash.

 

Courtesy of Yahoo! Autos