Keeping your car safe in Rotherham

How to keep your vehicle safe

So I was listening to the radio in my van the other day and Cars by Gary Numan was playing. You know the one – “Here in my car, I feel safest of all, I can lock all my doors, It’s the only way to live in cars.” And I thought to myself I’m not sure he’s thought through the practicalities of living in a car – what about when he needs to go to the toilet, for one? Not to mention showering or when he wants to invite the family round for a meal. But who am I to argue with Gary?

This preamble leads on to today’s subject. Usually, I restrict myself to information about home and business security, but a change is as good as a break, so I thought today I’d touch on the topic of how to keep your car secure.

Let’s face it, after a house, your car is usually the most valuable item you own, unless you have a few Faberge eggs lying around the house. Which is unlikely, and given how much food prices are going up, I don’t even have a few chicken eggs laying around mine. And yes, that was a deliberate eggs/laying pun, sorry.

So, a few pointers on keeping your vehicle safe.

Firstly, park it somewhere safe. Ideally this would be in your garage, although this is becoming less and less common with people using garages for storage, or having more than one car in the household, necessitating leaving at least one outside. If parking outside, use your drive if you have one, or a well-lit area of the street – car thieves love a bit of darkness to carry out their work.

After parking up, check the door handle. Most cars now have remote locking, but if the battery in the key has run down, there is a fault, or you simply haven’t pressed the button down hard enough, the central locking may not have activated. Always double check by trying the handle, ensuring the car is locked.

It’s all very well locking the car properly, but owners then often leave their keys right by the front door, on display through a window or porch. This makes it so easy for a thief to get in, snatch the keys and be off with the car from your drive in a matter of seconds. Many house burglaries are carried out solely to take the keys for the car – it’s the highest value object they can make off with. Don’t make it easy for the thieves. Stash your keys out of sight in a drawer, cupboard, or keep them on your person. Certainly don’t leave them on display.

I never pass up an opportunity to get you to fit anti-snap Euro cylinder locks, and having these in place will help prevent a burglar breaking in to get to your car keys. Any external locks should be three star at a minimum (TS007) or Solid Secure Diamond Standard. These will stand up to any snapping attempt much better than the old-style cylinder models.

An obvious tip, although one still frequently forgotten is to not leave any valuables on display in your car. Whether this is a work laptop, a wallet, a handbag, or a fancy sat nav, these provide added temptation to an opportunistic criminal and whilst it might not result in the car being stolen, you might still return to smashed glass, a broken window, and the property missing. Either take your valuables with you or hide them out of sight in the boot.

If you want to go a bit further in protecting your car (and your property), installing CCTV is never a bad idea. These systems have come down in price with the new smart wireless technology and are an effective preventative measure when it comes to putting off burglars. As well as CCTV, putting up motion-activated lights will also help – both to deter burglars and also to help you find your way from the car to the house on a dark night.

There are also specialised alarms and immobilisers etc that can be fitted to cars, although these are generally out of my area of expertise, as I focus primarily on home and business security. However, take a look at the security area of the Thatcham website to see the fancy new gadgets and extras you can add to your vehicle.

Need further advice? Call a Rotherham locksmith

Following the above tips will hopefully reduce the chances of you being the victim of car theft – a theft which as well as being financially painful, can also cause all sorts of practical problems whilst you’re waiting for a replacement. No-one really wants to be walking miles to work, especially as winter approaches, so any little steps you can take to prevent your car being stolen are well worth it.