Next time you’re out on the highway, try to notice what types of cars are in front of you or next to you. You will see a lot of Honda Accords, Honda Civics, Toyota Corollas, Ford F-150s. Affordable and gas-efficient, these are the best-selling cars in the United States.
They are also the top four most stolen cars in our nation. Cars most likely to entice buyers also attract thieves. Criminals know they can easily blend in with traffic in these types of cars. The parts, or the cars themselves, are easy to sell off.
If you own one of these four models, there are some precautions that you can take to keep your car safe and unwanted drivers from behind the wheel.
Lock It (Duh)
First of all, lock your car. That sounds pretty basic, but if you’re like me, you might sometimes walk away from your car and realize you’re not sure if you’ve really locked it. Always go back and check. Ensure that the windows are up, too. These measures will keep you out of the easiest-to-steal category.
Try to always park in a well-lit area or a parking garage. If you’ve left your car in a public place, there’s a chance any foul play will be recorded by a security camera. Garages can be good places to park because attendants might be able to provide valuable information in the case that your car is stolen.
These options may not be available everywhere you have to go. I’ve heard of companies that pay for anti-theft systems for employees whose jobs require them to drive to iffy places. If you’re one of these people, make sure you take advantage of this type of program, or suggest it to your employer if it doesn’t already exist.
More Sophisticated Measures
As far anti-theft systems, consider carefully when choosing one. Many people agree that loud car alarms do nothing to deter thieves, and that in fact the noise keeps potential onlookers from paying attention to the deadbeat driving away with your car.
Some favor The Club, which locks the steering wheel and prevents the thief from navigating traffic. There is disagreement on the effectiveness of this measure: some point to cases in which the criminal was able to cut through the device. Others reason that this very labor-intensive step encourages the thief to simply search for a less well-protected car.
You could go for an electronic device, such as an immobilizer or tracking system. An immobilizer could be a kill switch, or a device that disables the fuel pump or ignition.
Thanks to the development of GPS, authorities have had a very high success rate in finding stolen cars with tracking systems. An example of these devices would be OnStar.
Don’t Park Your Car in Las Vegas
Whatever anti-theft system you choose, steer clear of Las Vegas. It’s consistently high on the list of places where cars are stolen. You may also want to stay out of California, since cities such as San Francisco and Fresno are popular among thieves as well.
On average, there are 2500- 3000 cars stolen everyday in the United States. New Years Eve and Christmas Day are the two days of the year with the least cars stolen. Apparently, even criminals like to spend time with their families during the holidays.
If you do go out of town and have to leave your car behind, let someone know. A friend, a trusted neighbor, a parking garage attendant might be able to keep an eye out for you and be able to alert you or the authorities before your vehicle is long gone.