Nothing can ruin your day more than walking out of your home or a store to find that your car has been burglarized. Aside from the initial feelings of helplessness due to your personal property being violated, you may begin to ask yourself, "Will my car insurance, for example Ditzo or Aegon, cover this?" and, "What could I have done to prevent this?" Here are a few tips to help prevent car burglary.
The best way to prevent burglary to your car is to park in a busy, well lit area. Isolating your car from others may be a good way to prevent damage from other vehicles, but it's an invitation to thieves who prefer not to attract attention. The less pedestrian and vehicle traffic in the area, the more likely it is that your car will be burglarized.
Don't make your vehicle a target by leaving valuables in plain sight. A thief is much less likely to break into a car that appears empty inside. Place anything of value in the trunk when you exit your vehicle including purses, laptops, GPS devices, MP3 players and even docking stations that can tip off a burglar that something of value may be inside. Don't peak a thief's curiosity by hiding packages under blankets or sheets. If you're going from one store to another, place all packages in the trunk as soon as you get to the car so they are not left in the vehicle when you reach your next destination, and promptly remove all your packages from your car upon returning home. Always lock your car no matter how long you plan to be away from it. It only takes a thief a few seconds to get into your vehicle.
Most vehicles today have an alarm that emits an audible 'chirp' when the alarm button is pressed on your door lock remote. Make sure the alarm is armed and operational, and that window decals indicating that a theft deterrent device is used in your car are plainly visible. Upon hearing your cars alarm being set, a thief will most likely move on to a vehicle that is not protected. If your car is not factory equipped with an alarm, you can have one installed for a relatively low cost. Should a thief be interested in stealing your car rather than just its contents, an electronic kill switch or electronically coded key will prevent the vehicle from being started.