One of the fastest growing crimes, and the least solved ones at that, are motor vehicles crimes. Car theft has become a menace in the country, and has been prevalent in the rural and urban areas of India. Some cities across the nation have reported as many as 100 vehicles falling prey to theft, and these are just the numbers for urban and metro cities. Many motor thefts go unreported and unaccounted for in rural areas, much to the dismay of the regulatory authorities.
There are many possible factors that have made auto theft a common practice in India: inadequate parking spaces, lack of proper surveillance, little knowledge about anti-theft devices, and so forth. While motorcycles lead the pack when it comes to the most stolen vehicle category, cars are not far behind. Your car can be picked up without your knowledge anytime, whether you have parked it in a residential designated parking, or have simply stationed it on the side of the road. However, there are many preventive measures that you can take as a car owner to safeguard your vehicle from your end. Here are our top 4 tips to follow if you want to keep your car away from theft.
Top Tips to Keep Your Car From Getting Stolen
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Pick as safe a parking spot as you can
As mentioned before, vehicles are subject to theft when they are parked in unsecured locations. It is important to note that while even residential parkings can be an easy ground for a thief to jack your vehicle, it is still advisable to park in locations that are known to you. Also, it is wise to check if all doors are locked and windows rolled up when you exit from the car, regardless of where you have parked it.
If, however, you have to park in areas that are unfamiliar to you, or are not very frequented by you, then find locations that are well-lit to park your car. And if you are able to find a location that is close to buildings under surveillance by guards, or fall in the radius of security camera surveillance, then that will add up to the safety of your car, and prevent car theft to a great extent.
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Keep your valuables on your person instead of in your car
Leaving your belongings and valuable items in full view inside your car is essentially leaving a tempting bait for a thief. In most of the cases of auto theft, the reason why the car gets picked up primarily comes out to be the thief’s desire to actually steal the valuable kept inside. As soon as the thief gets access to the valuables inside, he/she may be enticed to take the car along with the valuables.
Therefore, it is important to always be aware of not leaving anything valuable behind in the car, even if you have securely locked it up. If you somehow do have to leave something in your car, remember to place it in areas where it is not visible from the outside, like the glove compartment, or the trunk of the car.
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Install a GPS tracker for cars
Ideally, this is one the first things you should do in order to safeguard your vehicle against car theft. A vehicle tracking system can allow you to know the whereabouts of your vehicle at any time, and from any place. It provides you with accurate location coordinates of the vehicle it is installed in. This feature can come in handy in notifying the authorities about the exact position of your vehicle, should it actually get stolen.
Apart from this, there are many other important features of a GPS tracker for cars that can guard your vehicle from theft. Some VTS provide you with remote ignition control, so that if you get an alert about your vehicle starting without your permission or presence, you can automatically cut the ignition remotely. Along with that, tampering alerts are also provided by vehicle tracking systems that notify you if your car doors are being made to open forcefully. These devices can also trigger loud sound alarms that are enough to scare away the thugs trying to break into your vehicle, from the fear of getting caught.
Also read: How To Install a GPS Tracker in Your Car
Also read: 10 Compelling Reasons Why You Need a Vehicle Tracking System
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Opt for Geofencing
Geofencing is a feature that allows you to create a virtual perimeter for any geographical area, such that when your vehicle enters or exits the demarcated area, triggers and alerts are sent to you immediately. This feature can be an add on to your vehicle tracking system.
With the help of geofencing, you can create a boundary around your regular parking spaces, such as around your house, your place of work and other locations that you frequent on a regular basis. Thus, if a thief actually tries to run away with your car, as soon as the car crosses the virtual boundary, you will get instant notification of the same and can alert the authorities immediately. In this manner, you can preempt being a victim of car theft.