Car crimes do appear to be on the rise, as a security expert I come into contact with many people daily who have become victims of car and vehicle crimes. This is not only upsetting, stressful, and but can be costly for the individual when dealing with insurance claims.
I would like to give you some key tips and advice to help you prevent car crimes and make it as difficult as possible for would-be car thieves to steal your vehicle.
Tips for Preventing Car Crimes
Lock your vehicle
Never forget to lock your vehicle, I know this sounds obvious but how many of us have needed to run into the home because we have forgotten something and left the car running on the drive unattended? This leaves the car very vulnerable to an opportunist thief.
It is illegal to leave your car on your driveway unattended and running whilst de-icing or warming up in the winter months. Another easy way for the thief to drive off with your precious car. If it is stolen in these circumstances your insurance company would not payout.
Criminals will target and look out for makes of cars that automatically have fold-in wing mirrors when they are locked. These are easy to see and locate if they haven’t been locked by the owner of the vehicle.
Keep your Keys Safe
Keep your keys safe when in the home, and try not to leave them next to the front door, it has been known for criminals to use a stick and a hook to fish through a letterbox to obtain them. Or next to a window in clear view.
If you are selling your car, keep the key in clear view at all times, thieves can pretend to be a potential buyer and clone your keys and steal it at a later date.
Keyless Car Fobs
Thieves can capture the signal of a keyless car fob within a few meters of it even if it is safe inside your home. When in the home keep your key and if you have a spare in a safe spot, turn the wireless settings off when not in use. Consider buying a protective Faraday bag, these can be purchased for under £10 and will protect the key from receiving or sending signals to other devices.
If you have brought a second-hand car with a keyless car fob, reprogram it. This can sometimes be done without specialised equipment, although some may require a specialist to reprogram.
Parking
Always, if you can park your car in busy well-lit areas, if possible a staffed illuminated car park would be preferable.
Carjacking
Lock your doors when traveling in a busy area to prevent carjacking, when in heavy traffic leave enough space in front of you so you can pull out.
Towtrucks
Keep an eye out for illegal tow trucks acting suspiciously with non-uniformed workers. These can be used by thieves to literally lift your car and take it away.
How to Make it as Difficult as Possible for Thieves.
There are many different security devices to add to your car or vehicle to make it harder for criminals.
- Steering locks are a highly visible deterrent that will help deter potential thieves
- Pedal locks, prevent the car from being moved if someone has gained access to your can.
- Pryonix CarDefender.
Pryonix CarDefender
The technology in the pyronix CarDefender is mounted in a brightly coloured silicone rubber mount that can be easily and quickly attached to a steering wheel, giving the car a clear visual deterrent. It connects wirelessly to a pyronix house alarm. It works by raising your house alarm or sending a notification to the user’s mobile phone or device when an attempted theft is detected. This Early warning allows users to take immediate action.
Besides the steering wheel, CarDefender can also be permanently fixed to van doors, to prevent tool theft and break-ins. The device also works for motorbikes, and motorhomes although it is not recommended for harsh weather conditions.
It has three levels of control: tilt only, shock only, and tilt and shock.
- Tilt only – Tilt mode has one setting, on or off. The device requires a tilt angle of 4° to trigger the detector.
- Shock only – Shock mode has three sensitivity settings; low, medium, and high. At the highest setting, the detector will trigger with less force. The lowest setting requires more force to trigger.
- Tilt or Shock – This mode will activate on either shock or tilt detection – an intruder hitting the vehicle or tilting the steering wheel will activate the alarm.