Over 2022 we’ve seen a rise in experiences of automotive thefts, notably vehicles price greater than £20,000.

That is backed up by current figures that present that there have been extra car thefts in 2021-2022 in England and Wales than there have been in 2020-2021 with 108,542 recorded offences in a single 12 months, averaging to 297 thefts a day and a couple of,082 thefts per week.

And likewise, DVLA figures recommend that thieves have a tendency to focus on particular makes and fashions. So the chance of automotive and van theft is excessive for everybody, however it might be notably excessive for some drivers.

On this put up we’ll focus on some easy issues you are able to do to guard your car from automotive and van thieves.

Secure and Smart Parking

Thieves usually tend to goal your car in the event that they assume they gained’t be seen. So if you happen to park in a busy, well-lit space, thieves could also be much less more likely to danger a break-in.

If parking away from residence goal to park in automotive parks which have measures in place to discourage thieves, together with onsite workers, ample illumination, safety cameras, limitations, and extra.

At residence, the perfect place to park your car is in a storage with a lock and an alarm. However in fact, not each driver has entry to such services. So what are you able to do you probably have no selection however to park your car in a single day in darkish and unobserved areas?

Preserve Valuables Out Of Sight

Many automotive thieves are opportunists so just be sure you preserve any private belongings or money out of sight. Even if you’re at a petroleum station or popping into a store, take valuables with you and lock your automotive.

Get Anti-Theft Tech

Your automotive or van will likely be fitted with a lot of superior safety and security options as commonplace. But it could be a good suggestion to make your car further safe – particularly if you happen to can’t park it in a protected location.

Good anti-theft tech can embody:

• Sprint cams that work once you’re automotive or van’s parked
• Alarm techniques with distant monitoring and immobilisation features.
• Wheel clamps
• Steering wheel locks
• House safety gadgets, together with doorbell cameras and sensor lights

In the event you’re a van driver, we even have a devoted information to protecting your van safe.

Lock Your Automobile

It might sound apparent, nevertheless it actually is vitally necessary that you simply lock your car everytime you’re leaving it unattended.

You would possibly assume you do that anyway. However have you ever ever left your car unlocked when filling up at a petroleum station? Or when simply popping into the store for a second or two?

And what about these freezing winter mornings, when you need to defrost your car earlier than you may drive it. Don’t be tempted to go away the automotive operating whilst you head again into the home. Not solely will this make it simple for thieves, however it can additionally invalidate your automotive insurance coverage.

So, get into the behavior of locking your car everytime you go away it unattended, even when it can simply be for just a few moments.

Additionally examine that your home windows and sunroof are closed earlier than you allow your car. And it may additionally be price manually checking that your car’s locked. This easy motion may provide you with a little bit of reassurance, and it may even put-off any thieves who occur to be prowling round.

Look Out For Organised Thieves

Some thieves are extremely organised, so be looking out for any indicators that thieves could also be working within the space:

• Individuals hanging round automotive parks and parking areas.
• Unmarked tow vehicles, pushed by individuals not sporting uniforms.
• Spray paint markings on the street or pavement.
• Grocery store trolley tokens or branches that seem misplaced and positioned close to or round your automotive.

Take Care of Your Keys

By no means go away your keys on a desk or counter once you’re in a store, café, pub, membership, bar, or restaurant.

And once you get residence, don’t simply place your keys by the door, or thieves would possibly be capable to steal them with a stick and a hook by your letterbox. As a substitute, preserve them someplace protected, safe, and out of sight.

In the event you drive a automotive with keyless entry, preserve your fob in a Faraday pouch, or perhaps a biscuit tin, to dam their sign. It will cease thieves from cloning the fob whilst you’re at residence. Learn our full information to stopping your keyless entry automotive from being stolen right here.

Get A Tracker

If the worst occurs and your automotive will get stolen, then a GPS tracker could assist the police to seek out your automotive. Some autos could have inbuilt trackers but when yours doesn’t you may simply purchase one on-line. There are an enormous variety of trackers to select from that are very simple to put in and observe utilizing an app.

You possibly can additionally use an Apple Tag. Disguise the tag in your automotive and you may observe it by your ‘Discover my iPhone’ app in your telephone.