5 Simple Steps to Protect Your Car from Theft or Vandalism

As the mercury in the thermometer climbs it seems like reports of petty crimes involving vehicles climb with it. It's also the time of year when the summer rush causes us to forget the most basic common sense approach to keeping our car and items inside safe. But all it takes is a few minutes to stop and think about these 5 ways to keep your car safe and not start your summer off with a police report:

1. Lock the doors. If you don’t have a keychain remote with a convenient button that locks all the doors just take the time to check. Also make sure your sun roof, moon roof, and windows are rolled up and closed. Don't make it easy to reach into an unlocked car and take a handful of CDS, a Bluetooth speaker or even a handful of change. Even if you run into a store for just two seconds, leaving the car running or unlocked is asking for trouble. Although keyless entry makes your car a little more secure, in the event you forget all of this lock-it-up advice, invest in a GPS tracker. In the worst case scenario, you can track your car in real time until the police get there.

2. Keep valuables out of sight. Your GPS navigation unit is great, you may want to hold on to it. If it's a portable navigation system, place it in the glove box, center console or the trunk. The same goes for any item that is not mounted to something. Let's be honest, your purse is not safe tucked under the seat. It's safe in the locked trunk. 

3. Park in well-lit areas. Even if you have to walk a little farther you should park where your car is safe. Petty thieves are looking for an easy target and a car sitting in a well lit area is not it. Good lighting also makes it easier for criminal activity to be recorded by nearby security cameras.

4. Don't advertise the nice stuff you keep in the car. Don't give your neighbors a chance to talk about your new stereo system by playing it loudly. You never know who might be listening. The same goes for advertising the kind of phone you have by placing its logo on your back window. You might as well say, “yep, I have an expensive phone, want to take a look?”

5. Put a hidden camera in or near your car. This way even if someone does break in you will have a video record of it. Hidden cameras like the Cell Phone Holder Camera are less likely to be stolen. It looks like a typical, cheap, dash-mounted plastic phone holder but it will capture the the person who decides to root around in your unlocked car. Another possibility is the Car Charger Hidden Camera. It's not only great for catching criminals who stop by your driveway at night it's also an easy way to find out if your mechanic really did swipe the change out of your console.