How you can protect your vehicle from being a target

Want to make your vehicle less attractive to car thieves? The faster that a vehicle can be stolen, the more attractive it is to a car thief.  Auto insurance experts at GEICO note that by implementing certain measures, you can slow down professional car thieves or joy-riders and make your vehicle a less appealing target for theft.

How you can protect your vehicle:

1. Keep your vehicle locked at all times, even while driving.
2. When parked, never leave your keys in the car. Make sure that you close all the windows and the sunroof.
3. Never leave your car running and unattended.
4. Avoid leaving valuables inside your vehicle and in a position where a passerby can see them.
5. Do not leave your vehicle’s registration in the car. On many occasions, a car thief will not be apprehended by police after being pulled over as he or she can produce the vehicle’s auto registration. (If multiple drivers use the vehicle, the best suggestion is to hide the registration in a secret location in the car that only the owners know about.)
6. Know where you’re going and avoid any areas that are known for high crime, even if the alternate route takes longer.
7. Install an anti-theft system in your vehicle if it doesn’t have one. Thieves are reluctant to steal a vehicle if they know that the car can be recovered quickly. Many insurers offer discounts for the types of systems listed below.
8. Thieves prefer to work in the dark, so be particularly cautious where you park your car at night. Its suggested that you park your vehicle in a well-lit area, if possible.
9. Be aware of your surroundings, especially in garages, parking lots and petrol stations.
10. Ensure that your car’s vehicle identification number (VIN) is etched on each of the windows. Car thieves won’t want to deal with the cost and hassle of replacing all the glass.
11. On an incline, leave your car in park or in gear with the wheels turned toward the curb or some other obstruction. This will make it harder for thieves to tow your vehicle.
12. If confronted by a carjacker, do not resist in any way; cars can be replaced, but lives can’t be replaced