Cost Effective Car Crime Prevention

By Author: Anastacia Kriegh
Total Articles: 11
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While it is certainly true that you can reduce the risk of car theft, and the cost of your insurance premiums, by installing security features such as alarms, immobilisers, and heavy duty locks, there are quite a few other things that you can do to reduce the risk of car crime that do not cost a single penny.

Leaving valuables on show in your car is an open invitation to thieves. If you have to leave any valuables in your car, keep them out of sight, and lock them away if possible in the boot or the glove compartment.

Whenever you lock your car using a fob rather than the key, you should always double check that all the doors are closed and locked before you walk away from the vehicle.

Whenever you leave the car unattended, you should remove the sat nav device, and if you cannot take it away with you, you should at least lock it away out of sight. Sat nav devices are a common target for thieves, as they do not take long to steal and have a high resale value.

When you take your sat nav device out, you should also remove the holder, and any traces that the suction cups leave on your windscreen, as this ...
... could indicate to a thief that there may be a sat nav device inside the vehicle.

Avoid parking your car on poorly lit, quiet streets and unattended car parks, as thieves naturally gravitate towards these lower risk environments. Also, do not forget to activate the alarm and immobiliser, even if you are only leaving the car for a few minutes.

Keep your car keys out of sight at all times, even when you are at home. Do not leave them near doors or windows, and if possible, lock them away securely in a secret location.

Storing your car in a locked garage on your property can help to keep your car more secure, as it presents an additional, noisy barrier to thieves. It can also lead to lower car insurance premiums. Anastacia Kriegh went to Kwik Fit Insurance to find car insurance quotes and has been writing about them since.