5 ways to avoid becoming a car theft victim
Don’t become another car theft victim!
South Africa has one of the highest stolen car statistics in the world and according to a report in 2015 by Carinfo.co.za, over 55 000 cars are stolen each year.
Yet some of us are still not cautious enough when it comes to avoiding being a car theft victim.
Miway.co.za car insurance offers the following 5 tips to avoid becoming another statistic:
Location, location, location
Where you choose to park will significantly influence the odds of being a victim of car theft or not. Whenever possible, try to park in a spot that is clearly visible to the public eye and ask yourself how easy it would be to approach your vehicle without anyone seeing.. The more people who can see your car, the less likely it will be that someone is going to have enough time to break into your car without raising any suspicions.
Get more high tech
These days, tracking systems are highly accurate, and can pinpoint the location of your car down to a few metres, so make sure your car is fitted with a reputable tracking device!
Don’t leave anything in your car
Leaving bags or containers in your car that look as if they may have valuable items in them make your car more attractive to thieves. Make sure you hide any bags away – even if they are empty, as this may just provide enough incentive for a criminal to break into your car.
Physically check that your car doors are locked
Central locking with a remote beeper is certainly convenient, but recent news has shown that criminals are taking advantage of this modern convenience. As you walk away from your car and casually press the lock button, don’t assume that your vehicle will lock! Criminals rely on this and using a “remote jamming” device so that the signal from your car remote is blocked – and your vehicle never receives the signal to lock the doors. This allows the thief to walk up to the car as if he owned it and steal any of your possessions and possibly the car itself.
Leave your windows slightly open
Leaving your window slightly open makes breaking or smashing the windows of a vehicle far more difficult. This is because the window becomes more flexible – allowing it to absorb impacts without shattering.
Source: Miway.co.za