Friday, August 17, 2012

6 Ways to Keep Your Car From Being Stolen

With 730,000-plus car thefts in the United States every year, grand theft auto is more common than you think. Although you try leave it to the video games and Dynamite Hack NWA covers, grand theft auto could happen to you. Guarding against stealing your car can be as easy as installing an alarm or avoiding the top cities for auto theft. There are lots of ways to prevent your car from being stolen, and from the creative to the mundane, we’ve got six of them.

  1. Hide Your Car Under a Tarp in a Locked Garage

    It’s a fairly simple strategy, but if you keep your car out of sight, it can’t be seen by would-be thieves. Hiding your car in a locked garage under a tarp reeks of overly protective behavior regarding material possessions, but you’re sure to avoid a curbside steal. And if you’re not going to protect your baby (in this instance, your car is your baby), who will? If anyone gives you the side eye, pelt them with harrowing auto theft statistics, and remind them that post-9/11, living in fear remains de rigeur.

  2. Avoid The Pacific Northwest

    According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, 90% of the top ten cities in terms of car theft rates were in California or Washington. And, just like so many tech sector workers before you, Texas is the place to relocate. If you don’t want your car stolen, move to Laredo. The Texas border town dropped from the highest per capita car theft rates in the nation to number 53 in a matter of two short years.

  3. Get A Car-Sized Invisibility Cloak

    It might sound like something you’d buy in The Shire, but an invisible car has a pretty low chance of being stolen. And if you don’t live in Middle Earth, work to make your car as invisible as possible. When it’s parked in public, make sure it’s locked, emptied of valuables, and anything left in the car gets hidden from plain sight. If your car looks boring and empty, maybe it will be invisible to thieves.

  4. Sound The Alarm

    If your car has a built-in alarm, make sure you engage it upon exiting the car. This one should be a no-brainer. And if it’s not, make it a new routine. Click your alarm button twice if you have to — everybody does it. If you have a car without an alarm, you can buy a fake one to deter thieves here.

  5. (Don’t) Let It Be

    There are very few places it’s acceptable to do this, and you should probably assume that you’re not at one of them. Even if you’re just running inside a home or shop for a moment, don’t ever leave your car’s engine running without you in the driver’s seat. Even if the car will remain in your line of sight, turn off the motor and take your keys with you. Think about how embarrassed you’ll be if your car gets stolen while you’re watching.

  6. Drive an Audi A6

    As for luxury cars, the Audi A6 is the least likely to be stolen. If you must drive a luxury vehicle, the Audi brand pays off for those worried about car thieves. Equipped with an alarm and other anti-theft amenities, this vehicle looks smart on the road and deters even seasoned car thieves. Another idea? Drive an old, beat-up car that nobody would want to steal.

Taken From Car Insurance

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