Massachusetts Subaru News November 2013

3 Tips to Preventing the Theft of Valuables from Your Car

Once you drive your vehicle away from the Boston Subaru dealerships, you might find yourself worrying about what could happen next. Thefts from vehicles happen more often than most would like to admit, and you never want to be the victim of a break-in. The best way to prevent items from being stolen from your car is, of course, to not leave valuables in the car in the first place. If you must do so, you can always follow these three simple tips.


Out of Sight, Out of Mind


Think about the average parking lot. What do you think makes one car more likely to be broken into than another? Leaving aside desirability of certain models or thieves who carefully watch their subjects, the most common reason that a car is broken into is because the driver left something valuable out where someone else could see it. If you absolutely must leave valuables in your car, hide them away. Make sure that your valuables are in the glove compartment, trunk or are simply tucked away under the seat. If your car doesn't look like it is worth the effort, most thieves will move on to a more tempting target.


Onboard Security

Your car is actually far harder to break into than you might think. While you might think that car thieves are organized, professional robbers who carry around an array of special tools, the truth is that most would-be thieves simply rely on you not taking care of your possessions. If you simply lock your doors and keep your windows rolled up, you will deter the vast majority of criminals. If your car has an alarm, make sure to engage it - this will often scare off anyone who is watching you.


Uncomfortable Access

If you really want to scare off thieves, make your car as uncomfortable as possible for them to access. For example, try to make sure that you park in a busy parking lot - specifically one that is easy to access for many people and will be frequented by a number of other drivers. If you have a chance to do so, park in a garage or lot that actually has a parking attendant - just the idea of an authority figure being nearby is more than enough to scare off most would-be robbers, who often rely more on opportunity than bravery to get the job done.


Never take your safety for granted. Always make sure that your valuables are hidden away, that your car is parked safely and that you actually use your security features. This will help you to scare off the majority of thieves, and it might even confound those who are brave enough to give a break-in a try. While you can never guarantee the security of any object that you leave in a car, you can help to make its theft a very difficult process. With a little forethought, you can make sure that anything left in your car will be there when you return.

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