 The
only sure way to avoid having your car stolen is not to own one.
There are,
however, ways to reduce the possibility of your finding an empty parking space
on your return and realize that your vehicle is now a statistic: one of more
than a million stolen every year in the United States.
Start
making your car theft resistant by creating simple precautionary habits. The intent
is to convince thieves that your machine is too much trouble for them. Car thieves
prefer quick and easy. Anything you do to make taking your car more difficult
and time consuming the greater your chances of keeping it.
There's
a continuum of opportunity from a piece of cake to risky business. If you leave
your car running while you hop out to grab a newspaper or score a coffee you are
abetting any crook that drives it away. Take your keys for those run-in errands.
How many seconds are you willing to take to protect this major investment? Even
when you are self-serving your car at the gas pump — and particularly when you
go in to pay: take the keys — lock the car. Gas stations are a smorgasbord for
joyriders and carjackers.
If
on the contrary you left your car in an attended lot or parked midway on a bright
street alive with passersby, turned your front wheels into the curb (listen for
the locking click) set your parking brake, closed the windows and locked up your
car is becoming a poor candidate for a thief. If you've added a brightly visible
steering wheel or brake lock and left nothing in the car visible from the outside
you've done even more to protect your property. Will
you have stopped the thief from stealing a car? No. If he's having a larcenous
moment he'll take one. Yes, maybe even yours, but more likely someone else's.
There's
one rather like yours parked in a corner space on a quiet street around the block.
It is shrouded in shadows; the sunroof and two windows are slightly open to affect
some cooling. Expensive sunglasses are left on the dash and a purse is tucked
— almost — under a seat. The purse probably has house keys inside and mail with
a street address. Enough to make a thief salivate. The only thing missing is a
bumper sticker: "I'm Yours!"
If
you own a rare chariot that stirs the avarice in those with more money than scruples
your property might be targeted by pros stealing to order. These underworld entrepreneurs
are determined and practiced. They can have your car snatched so quickly it eddies
the leaves. You need even more care — a disabling device and a tracking service
might help (more later).
(CONTINUE...)
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