During the holidays, people are always taught that goodness and generosity should envelop their hearts. However, this doesn't mean that car owners should provide the opportunity for thieves to steal items from their car or even their own car.
Especially that during the holidays, thieves are also working at twice their own pace. They see the holidays as an opportunity because people are usually busy with their Christmas shopping and are unaware of their surroundings. Perpetrators see this situation as a vulnerability to prey on victims that are busy carrying their many shopping bags, those who forgot to lock their car doors and generally those they think that have the riches.
If you want to keep your vehicles safe from thieves this Christmas, as well the items inside, follow 7 tips that Philkotse.com recommends below:
1. Parking in a public place
Finding a public parking place during the holidays is a big headache. You're always looking around, keeping an eye to that desirable place and is always wearing that hot-headed face with a raging temper on the side. Usually, people would park at the front of the door's store or somewhere near the vicinity.
However, wherever you park your car, always remember to park it facing the wall. This makes it harder for the thief to run away with the car since they'll have to maneuver it. Remember that reversing a car will slow the thief down or even make him think twice with targeting your own car. Remember to lock your car's doors as well.
Park your car in a public place to decrease the chances of thieves to target your car.
2. Parking intelligently
Aside from parking your car facing the wall, make sure to also park your car with its wheel turned towards a curve. In addition, you can also park your car with its wheel facing towards another vehicle. If it does, it will be hard for the thief to maneuver the car out of its parking spot. If he is careless, there's a chance that he'll crash into another vehicle (worst case scenario) or it'll attract enough attention and suspicion from people around.
Park your car facing your home. This will make it hard for thieves to maneuver the car.
If you're not away for some Christmas shopping, be aware and alert as well. Thieves do not pick a specific location to do their crimes. As long as they see an opportunity, they'll grab it. Even if your car is at your home. In some cases that you don't have a garage that is located inside your home's vicinity, your best option is to park it outside.
If you do, park the car where it's facing your home. Doing so makes it harder to maneuver the car into running away with your car. Plus, if your car is parked in this manner, thieving motions will be discovered. After all, wouldn't you be suspicious if the engine starts with all of your family members inside the house?
>>> More tips to improve your car parking skills:
3. Keeping valuables away from thief's sight
There's a 99% chance that the thief that targets your car will peek into your car and look for items that he thinks would be a valuable piece. Keep those items out of sight. If possible, replace your car window's tint into a darker one. This will keep the thief from seeing what he can obtain from snatching valuables inside your car.
Furthermore, if you are Christmas shoppers, limit the resources you'll take with you. Don't bring in extra valuables like your laptops, cell phones, and other gadgets that might grab the attention of a thief.
Don't leave any valuables in your car. It increases the chances of thieves targeting your car.
4. Changing your habits
Thieves have this keen sense of observation when working towards their target. They plan, research and carefully execute the crime. Notice how the news would say that “it's almost as if they follow their target's daily activities and schedule and when they find a loophole into executing the crime, they do it.”
Habits can be a hard thing to break but sometimes, you just need the right amount of mix-up to shake things up a bit. Make daily tweaks into your habit and make yourself an uneasy target. Predators would usually prey on someone they think is predictable since they can make an escape plan from the information that they have and get away with it.
5. Sweeping out unusual marks
There’s a snatching modus revealed on the Philippines about a group of guys that literally marks a house before attempting to break in. Usually, these marks indicate that the house has valuables inside it and that they can sweep through it without any sign of detection since the owner is unorganized, unaware and is vulnerable. The good thing about the reveal of this modus is that it is also utilized with carnapping as well.
The fact that your car is clean and organized puts off a lot of thieves by sending a message that you organize and care about your security well.
Before leaving for daily work or whatever engagement you have for the day, take the extra time to clean your car. In some cases, you can just give the car's exterior a wipe. If you notice markings on your windscreen, beware, your car is marked as a target. Clean the marks immediately and do away from your daily routine for that day. This can potentially deter thieves from stealing your car.
If you think your car is mounted with devices that track you down, give your trusted auto technician a visit. Remove the threat immediately. The fact that your car is clean and organized puts off a lot of thieves. They can sense that with this habit, you are an organized person and you send off a message that you care about its security as well.
6. Scanning your surroundings
If you need something to make a habit out of, you need to scan the surroundings first before you sit on your car and leave. This simple act can give you a sense of suspicious people lurking around you. Look for familiar faces that might be interested in your car. Look for security threats, not only for your car but for your life as well. When you find someone acting questionable, immediately ask help from the authorities.
You need to scan the surroundings first before you sit in your car and leave.
This article will help you prevent or at least lessen the chances of car thieves to target your car. Being careful and assuring that your car is secure will let you have a piece of mind this Christmas season.
>>> Also check out: Top 5 Ideal Christmas Gifts for Filipino Car Owners
