In these tough financial times most folks need vacations more than ever. As well, they also want to save a lot of money. One economical solution is taking the family car and driving to and from your holiday destination instead of flying there.
If you are planning to drive, it may also make sense to take a few steps to protect yourself and family from auto thieves. Having a car thief steal your car, your luggage, other items of value in your trunk could really wreck what was supposed to be a fun filled and relaxing trip.
Even by taking all the numerous precautions to prevent auto theft when you travel, very determined professional car thieves can still manage to take any vehicle if they want it bad enough. Did you see the movie Gone In 60 Seconds starring Nicolas Cage? However, you can still dramatically lessen the odds of becoming a victim of auto theft to almost zero.
Many of these auto theft preventative measures are common sense and cost nothing to do. So it might make sense to implement them not only when you travel by car on your holidays, but also in your every day driving.
Firstly, you should never take it for granted that you are immune from car thieves when traveling, or that your vehicle is not really worth stealing.
Keep in mind that sometimes these thieves are after more than your vehicle, luggage, or any valuables that might be in your car. They may only want an older car to take a joy ride in or steal it for its parts.
They might also be after your vehicle documents for identity theft, or they could be contemplating robbing your residence while you are away on holidays. Where would they find this important information? From the auto registration and car insurance papers which are usually located conveniently in the vehicles glove compartment.
The best way is to eliminate this problem is to keep these documents on your person at all times when traveling on your vacation.
The second best way is to reduce this problem by hiding these documents really well in the trunk of your car. Some police forces in cities that have high auto theft crime incidents recommend this. Remember to tell everyone who is traveling with you where these documents are hidden in the trunk.
Here are some more ways you can lessen the chance of having your holidays ruined by car thieves. If you can manage to implement a number of these suggestions, you can dramatically lessen the odds of becoming another victim of auto theft when you travel.
Make sure you always close your vehicles windows tightly and lock your car each time you leave it parked, even if its only for just short period of time.
A real invitation to lose your vehicle is to leave it idling while unattended. Under no circumstance should you ever do this. Don’t even think about it.
Similarly, you should not leave your vehicles keys in the ignition or hidden anywhere in car. That also includes a second set of keys. Professional car thieves can easily find any keys hidden in the usual places very quickly. Keep an extra set of keys on your person.
Do not leave any valuables in your vehicle, even if they cant be seen from the outside of your car. If possible, you should take them with you.
However, if you must leave valuables in your vehicle, make sure that they are locked up inside your trunk. When you do this, look around to make sure that no one is watching what you do, or better still stop, pull over, and put them in your trunk before you arrive at the place you’re going. Prying eyes could be anywhere.
When parking your vehicle in public areas, turn you front wheels either to the left or right before turning your ignition off. This will engage the steering wheel locking mechanism in the steering column which can make your car a little more difficult to steal.
By engaging the emergency brake after you have parked and turned the motor off, you may also make your vehicle harder to tow away.
For front wheel and rear wheel drive vehicles you should park them somewhat differently when in an underground garage. Front wheel drive autos should be parked nose in and the rear wheel drives, nose out. Then just turn your tires to the left or right. Again, this may make your car harder to tow.
Its always best to park in an attendant controlled parking lot rather than an unattended one. If it is a place where there is valet parking, only give the attendant your door and ignition key. They don’t need any of the other keys on your key chain.
In public places at dusk and at night, always park in a well lighted area that has a lot of pedestrian traffic. Keep in mind that most auto thieves prefer to work under the cover of darkness.
If possible, avoid parking next or near to any obstruction, such as a large truck, fence, hedge, or anything that blocks an unobstructed view of your vehicle to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
When you are staying in a place that has gated, secure parking, be sure that the gate has completely closed after entering or leaving so that a thief doesn’t sneak in to the parking area behind your vehicle.
If you observe any suspicious activity like a person or group of people milling around or near your vehicle you should call the police.
Here are some of the anti-theft devices that you can install for maximum protection. You may have some of these products already installed in your vehicle.
You can use a very visible after-market steering wheel locking bar. Most car thieves will likely move on to easier prey/greener pastures. Other less visible after-market products are locks for gas pedals, brake pedals, as well as armored collars that fit around the steering column which protects the ignition. For any manual shift vehicles you can also use an after-market shifter lock. These are effective but not highly visible to prying eyes.
Another thing that you can easily do is to have your mechanic install a hood lock that will prevent easy access to your vehicles battery and security system.
A loud vehicle alarm system and a highly visible alarm sticker on your windshield can be worth its weight in gold when combined with the addition of a number of other anti-theft security options.
The best vehicle protection is a passive electronic immobilizer which automatically disables the motor when the ignition is turned off. Its not an inexpensive device to install but it is well worth it for your peace of mind. There are a few other benefits you could receive by installing an electronic immobilizer in your vehicle. Some auto insurance companies may offer a discount on your policy if you can confirm that you’ve had one installed. You also may get more money for your vehicle if you sell it down the road.
Last, but not least, check to make sure you have adequate insurance coverage on your vehicle including theft and damage before you travel by car on any vacation.
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Tags: auto insurance, auto thefts, autos, car insurance, car rentals, car thefts, Cars, holidays, identity theft, road travel, road trips, Travel, Vacations