{"id":2303,"date":"2014-03-24T11:22:09","date_gmt":"2014-03-24T18:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/?p=2303"},"modified":"2023-09-06T18:05:30","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T18:05:30","slug":"dont-be-a-victim-of-car-theft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/dont-be-a-victim-of-car-theft\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Be a Victim of Car Theft"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every 44 seconds, a vehicle is stolen somewhere in the U.S., and according to the most recent numbers from the National Insurance Crime Bureau <\/a>(NICB), California ranks first in auto theft figures: behind California, the next states on the list for car theft are Florida, Texas, New York and Illinois. Did you know that if your vehicle has anti-theft devices, you may be able to lower your car insurance<\/a> premium?https:\/\/www.nicb.org\/\u200e<\/p>\n

Most car thefts are crimes of opportunity:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2022 More than 33% of all vehicle thefts occur near the car owner\u2019s residence
\n\u2022 Almost 20% of thefts happen in parking lots<\/p>\n

To prevent thefts, police agencies recommend \u201cLayered Protection.\u201d The more layers of protection on your vehicle, the tougher it is to steal. The number of layers your vehicle needs varies depending on your vehicle and where you live. Your budget and personal preferences will help you decide which anti-theft device is best for you.<\/p>\n

Here are things you can do to help protect your car from theft:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Don\u2019t leave your car unlocked, even in front of your own home.
\n2. Never leave your car running while it is unattended.
\n3. Do not hide a spare key with your vehicle. Thieves know exactly where to look for that extra key.
\n4. Never leave your windows open
\nEven during the hot summer days, don\u2019t leave your windows open or slightly cracked when you are not in the vehicle.
\n5. Park in well-lit, public areas
\nAvoid parking in areas that are poorly lit or in areas that are hidden from public view.
\n6. Install an audible alarm system and a visible anti-theft device
\nCar thieves tend to avoid cars with alarms or anti-theft devices since they attract attention when they\u2019re triggered.
\n7. Install a vehicle immobilizer system. You can stop thieves from \u201chotwiring\u201d your car with an ignition cut-off system.
\n8. Consider installing a GPS tracking system
\nIf your car is stolen, this tracking system puts out a signal pinpointing your vehicle\u2019s location to the police.
\n9. Don\u2019t leave valuables in your car
\nLeaving valuables in plain view is a sure way to attract a thief to your car. Store valuables in your trunk or under the seats, to keep it hidden from prying eyes.
\n10. Don\u2019t keep your title, registration or insurance information in your vehicle; take them with you when your car is left unattended. A car thief scoping out your car will be more likely to steal it if they have access to documents that can also help them steal your identity.
\n11. Use Common Sense
\nBe aware of your immediate surroundings, especially in garages, parking lots and gas stations.
\n12. Etch your car\u2019s vehicle identification number (VIN) on all of your windows.
\n13. Display warning decals. Decals about security measures warning thieves about your security system and VIN etching may cause them to look for an easier target.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t predict when a thief may try to steal your car. But, by taking some precautions, you can make a car thief\u2019s job as difficult as possible. And if you do have anti-theft devices in your vehicle, don\u2019t forget to check for possible discounts on your car insurance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Have you ever been the victim of car theft? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every 44 seconds, a vehicle is stolen somewhere in the U.S., and according to the most recent numbers from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), California ranks first in auto theft figures: behind California, the next states on the list for car theft are Florida, Texas, New York and Illinois. Did you know that if […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[190,665],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2303"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2303"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7170,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2303\/revisions\/7170"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.costulessdirect.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}