By wang’ombe Kibunja
You never have to worry about your car being stolen until it is too late. Always stick with the motto that prevention is better than regrets. To avoid sleepless nights, you should put these tips into use to avoid your car from being stolen. At this time and age, the car industry is growing and the rate at which people are purchasing cars is increasing by the day. The biggest reason as to why cars are becoming more popular than ever is because of the enlargement of the automobile black market. Most stolen cars in Kenya are Japanese models because of their tech features and specifications making them the best target for theft. Thieves do not just target any car, they look for the most common car like the Fielder or a car that is easier to repaint. If the thought of a thief enjoying your hard-earned car makes you cringe here are some ways to safeguard your cars from criminals.
Keeping your keys safe and close
People like to think that they are smart by hiding their spare keys near the wheel or some safe spot in the car. As safe as you think that spot is, is as much as all the criminals know all your hiding tricks. Some of these people are professionals and can outsmart you any time as much as you are scared of being locked out of your car, things could always be worse like your car being stolen. You should always keep your keys out of reach from people during short stopovers like at the petrol stations.
Installing car alarms
New models come with installed alarms but the older versions don’t have this feature. Car alarms are used to alarm the owner when one is trying to tamper with the car or some of the features of the car. Car alarms are effective in keeping criminals away from your car as they go off fast and are loud enough for you to hear from wherever you are.
Lock your car at all times
You might think that this is obvious to everyone but you will still find cases where people leave their cars unlocked because they are just at a shop next to the car but no, that is a big mistake as you never know when somebody is waiting and watching. You should always lock your car no matter how safe of a neighborhood you are in. For that always manual check if your car is locked to be sure. Remember to lock your sunroof too, it could be an easy way for thieves to enter and get away with your prized possession.
Park in a secured place
The best place to park your car especially during the night is in the garage. Leaving your car out in the open gives easy accessibility to entering your car. If the garage is not available you could try parking in a well-lit place where you can easily see your car from afar. It is safe if when parking you should check where the CCTV cameras cover and park in that area. With that thieves will always check for the blind spots and steal cars that cannot be seen by the cameras. If you are in a sketchy place look for a place that is more public where people will note that a robbery is taking place when they see people tampering with your car.
Install a steering wheel lock
The new lot of criminals are smart. Criminals stick to jamming the car and or having the smart key. In a matter of trying to jam the car, they probably do not consider that the wheel may be locked. It comes as a surprise to them. The steering wheel lock fits the steering wheel preventing any movement and we all know a car without a working steering wheel is useless. With that, it makes it impossible for anyone to steal your car.
Install a cutoff switch
Installing a cutout on a car to prevent it from starting has been the norm for years, but thieves have known this trick and they bypass it in seconds. They are able to know a car with a cutout switch and are able to locate it. To be on the safe side install a switch that cuts off power from the fuel pump. The car will start then stall. This makes it hard for the thieves to go away with your car, thieves won’t steal a car that keeps stalling.
Don’t leave your valuables in the open
As far as you may protect your car from being stolen but it may be broken to and valuables stolen. To avoid that do not leave your laptop, phones or handbags on the passenger’s seat or the backseats. Make sure that you have a clean boot so that you can store the valuables out of eye shot.
Install a GSM tracker
To be safe, install one or two GSM trackers on the car at conspicuous places, this will help just in case your car is stolen, you are able to track the movements of the car. You are able to know your car’s location and when they are deactivated the police will have a trail that can lead to recovery of your car. A cheap way of having a GSM tracker is having an old phone with a huge battery capacity hidden somewhere in the car.
In case of a hijacking don’t resist, remember your car can be replaced but your life cannot. The robbers may be armed and since their interest is your car, just let go since they will put up a fight to take the car. Let’s try to value our own life as we try to protect our properties.
