e for a professional thief to break into your car, start it up and drive away as it does for you to walk into a store, buy candy bar, pay for it and watch as your car leaves the parking lot. Car thieves never pass up an opportunity to make a quick buck by stealing a car and they work weekends, nights and holidays.
The following tips can help your car become a less inviting target and slow down, discourage or actually prevent car theft.
1. Park in plain sight -Thieves prefer to work out of sight of people and electronic recording devices, so leave your car in a well-lit, populated area.
2. Take your keys---always - Car theft is often a crime of opportunity, so shut yours off and pocket your keys even if you're only ducking into a convenience store.
3. Don't hide your keys anywhere within or outside the car - Thieves know all the hiding places you do, and probably a few more. Those magnetic key holders are BAD ideas.
4. Use a variety of methods to slow would-be thieves - The more prevention methods you have the harder it will make a thief work to steal your car. Put on the emergency brake, turn your wheels hard to the left or right, set the car in "park" or in gear to make it more difficult to be quickly towed.
5. Disable your battery if parking long-term - A thief won't spend the time trying to start a car with a possible dead battery. Yank one of the cable wires to your battery if you're leaving your car parked at an airport or anywhere where it will sit unattended for more than a few days.
6. Sign valuable parts - Put the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the inside of your trunk, inside your doors, on your sound system components and any other pricey parts thieves like to chop.
With foresight and preventive measures that don't take much time, you can help ensure you'll never have to experience that unique nausea familiar to anyone finding a grease spot where their car was parked.
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