Vehicle theft is, unfortunately, a fact of modern life. Whether you own a scooter or a little run-around car or an entire fleet of vehicles, protecting those vehicles from theft is essential. If you’re tempted to think that this kind of crime will never happen to you, the statistics may well change your mind. In 2015 alone, a vehicle was stolen in the US every 45 seconds, according to the Insurance Information Institute. That’s 707,758 vehicle thefts in just one year. It’s a similar story around the world, so taking some simple steps to protect your vehicle makes a lot of sense, when you consider the number of vehicle crimes committed.

 

Preventing vehicle theft

Ideally, you should work on deterring thieves from targeting your vehicle in the first place. Where you park your vehicle can have a huge impact on the likelihood of it being stolen, so a secure garage would always be the best option. Of course, that’s not always possible for many people, especially if you need to park somewhere away from your home or business premises. Whenever you have to park in a public place, always ensure that you choose somewhere that is well-lit, and park in a spot where plenty of people are passing by on a regular basis. These two simple things will act as a powerful deterrent and thieves will hopefully move on to look for an easier target, rather than risk being caught breaking into your car.

 

Even if you can park your vehicle at home or on your business premises, that doesn’t necessarily mean the vehicle is safe. Professional thieves will think nothing of breaking in to steal a valuable vehicle. Having a professional security system in place may make all the difference, however, causing thieves to think twice about stealing your vehicle.

CCTV systems are widely used to protect vehicles and property, and can be very effective, since they provide a highly visible deterrent to would-be thieves, who, for the most part, are simple opportunists. Even if the presence of CCTV doesn’t put thieves off, it could prove crucial in helping to track down thieves, if your vehicle or other property is stolen. If you’re not convinced of the power of CCTV to track down criminals, consider the London riots of 2011. In the weeks following those riots, the Met Police watched more than 200,000 hours of CCTV footage, in order to identify and prosecute 5,000 criminals.

 

If you decide to have an audible alarm system installed in your car or garage, it’s essential that there is always someone around to check things out just in case the alarm does go off. An alarm is of very little use if no one can investigate when it goes off. Joining a neighborhood watch group, or teaming up with neighboring businesses to look out for one another can be an effective solution in the fight against crime. For ultimate peace of mind, however, a monitored alarm system is the best choice–with a central monitoring station able to escalate any triggered alarms, if necessary.

It would be misleading to suggest that it’s possible to 100% completely protect your vehicle or property from theft. Criminals are constantly looking for new ways to target vehicles and other property, and technology is making their job easier. By spending a little time thinking about your vehicle’s security and about how a thief might target it, you can greatly reduce the chances of vehicular theft happening to you. In simple terms, if you make your vehicle as difficult to steal as possible, you stand a good chance of deterring thieves altogether.

 

Justin FoxJustin is a History graduate from the University of Kent, currently writing on behalf of Truck Locator, a UK-based online marketplace of used trucks and lorries. Having a keen interest in current affairs, Justin is currently focusing on the topic of automation and the massive impact this is set to have on the world in the years to come.

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