4 of the Best Car Theft Prevention Tools
When your vehicle is parked, taking steps to prevent theft is a wise move. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools available on the market today that will work toward keeping your vehicle safe. Read on to discover four car theft prevention tools to invest in.
Keeping with the theme of protecting your car or truck, adding a carport to your property is a great way to keep it out of the rain and sun while parked. Start designing your new carport today with our free Build & Price tool.
#1 – Your Car’s Locks
We had to start this list with a rather obvious, but important, point. Perhaps the single best thing you can do to prevent theft when parked under a carport is simply locking the doors every time you walk away. Even if you are only parking for a few minutes and you are coming right back, just hit the button and lock the doors. It’s easy and there is no reason not to do it.
When looking for a car to steal, thieves are typically looking for the path of least resistance. Every additional hurdle that they need to clear is another reason to keep looking for an easier target. So, by starting with your vehicle locked, you are in a good position to cause a potential thief to move on and look for another target. Is having your vehicle locked a guarantee that theft will not occur? Of course not, but it’s a big step in the right direction. This security equipment is already installed on the vehicle–so you might as well use it.
#2 – Proper Lighting
Another great way to protect your vehicle is to light up the area where the vehicle is typically parked. Along with looking for the path of least resistance, criminals are also looking for darkness in most cases. They don’t want to be seen committing crimes, whether that means being spotted by a bystander or being seen on camera. So, a brightly-lit space is going to cause some hesitation and it may be another way to get them to move on instead. Modern LED lighting is affordable and long-lasting, so this is an inexpensive way to add another layer of security to your carport.
#3 – Install a Camera
Speaking of being caught on camera, having video evidence of a crime is a worst-case scenario for the average thief. More and more people are adding cameras to their property as a result of the low cost of the camera and the ease of installation. You can even set up your camera system such that it will alert your smartphone if any activity is detected. Again, this is not a guaranteed method of prevention, but rather another layer to add to your setup. Even if you just followed these first three steps–locking your doors, lighting the space, and adding a camera–you will have an environment that will be uninviting to most criminals.
#4 – Additional Security Devices
There are plenty of other aftermarket security devices that you can add to your vehicle if you’d like to layer on even more security measures. For instance, an audible alarm that makes a loud noise if someone breaks in. This would work well if you live in a populated area as the alarm would be sure to grab plenty of attention. Or, a steering wheel lock device could be used to make the car impossible to drive if someone did try to take it.
Get Covered at American Steel
Given the simple and affordable nature of many of the car theft prevention tools we’ve listed above, you should at least consider employing one or more of these techniques to protect your vehicle. And, if you can add a carport to your property to create some covered parking, you’ll be in an even better position. If you’re ready to start building your custom carport, explore our free Build & Price tool today!
