A car is one of your prized possessions that is why you should know how to protect it from carnappers and thieves of personal belongings. Even if you have it all secured and locked, those criminals can still find a way to get what they want if you failed to follow some important procedures.
Do not park in dimly lit areas
When you park your car in a place that is barely lighted, you are in a way inviting carnapers to take a peek and see if they can open the doors. Choose a lighted place where there are also people around.
Do not park in isolated places
Carnappers and thieves do not normally operate in areas where there are many people that can see them. To prevent your car from being jacked up, avoid parking in places where there are not too many passersby or establishments.
Install a car alarm system
Buy a good alarm system from your car. It is one of the best investments that you can get to protect your car from carnappers. If your car is the SUV type where there is also a door at the back, make sure that the alarm system is also installed there. Carnappers nowadays destroy open the backdoor because they know the normal alarm system covers only the four side doors.
Buy a steering wheel lock
Use a lock on the steering wheel aside from the alarm system. A steering wheel lock can make sure that they will have a hard time before they can take your car. Carnappers must operate and be able to take the car in a matter of minutes so if they see a steering wheel lock, most of them already give up on the idea of taking the car.
Do not leave valuable stuff inside the car
Even if you have all the doors and the steering wheel secured, if there are belongings inside that can attract the attention of thieves, they can still take it. All they have to do is to break the door window and they can already get your stuff. Many car owners lost their laptop, cellphone, bag, and other valuables because they left them inside the car open to full view of thieves.
Install a camera inside your car
There are cameras that can be installed inside your car which can be connected to your computer by means of internet. It can be turned on and make a recording of everything that happens whenever you leave the car. This way, you can know what happens both inside and outside and you can also get a good picture of the thief who stole the car or your personal stuff.
A word on the style of Carnappers and car thieves
Some carnappers and thieves operate on a particular area. They know who are the car owners there and therefore can identify what cars are new to the place. They operate on a particular area because they are familiar with police movements as well as the traffic of people coming and going on a regular basis.
But most of them just go out there and look for victims. If they chance upon your car, they will scout it for a while. They will make a few rounds around it and see if the owner is nearby. They will check the nearby surroundings if there are people that could see them.
If they think they can get away with it based on their observation, they will then strike. It takes only a maximum of five minutes to get the engine running and get away with the vehicle.