The Lucky Number: 7 Ways to Make Your Car More Secure

There are many highly convincing reasons why you’d want to keep your car as secure as possible, and they (hopefully!) go without saying. Car thieves are notorious in the UK, and you’ll naturally wish to ensure your four-wheeled pride and joy is secure from thieves. Need some inspiration? Here are seven simple yet powerful ways to boost your car’s security. 

Keep it locked at all times

You may roll your eyes at this suggestion because it’s just so obvious, right? Wrong. The Independent ran a poll involving 2,000 British adults and found that one in five have returned to their car only to find they had left it unlocked. Mistakes happen, and being forgetful isn’t a crime – but it can lead to one. Car thieves are opportunists, and the last thing you want to do is hand them that opportunity. So, the next time you leave your vehicle, check that you’ve locked it. And then check again. If you can get yourself into the habit of this, your car will stand a much stronger chance of keeping safe.

Keep valuables out of sight, out of mind

Never leave your vehicle without first ensuring any expensive gadgets and luxury items are well hidden. If possible, move that iPad into the car trunk and cover that pair of designer trainers with a blanket. It makes complete sense that an extravagant commodity on clear display can make stealing a car a hundred times more appealing to a common thief. 

Do you want to park there? Really?

Parking can be a difficult task at the best of times, but it’s important to stay vigilant each time you do it. Where you choose to park can have an immense effect on your vehicle’s security, so you should always opt for a well-lit and open area if possible. When you’re parking outside of your property, doing so in a garage or driveway is your safest bet. If you don’t have either of these, park as close to your property as possible; under a street lamp, or security light would be best. 

Window etching

The etching is probably one of the lesser-known tactics in keeping your vehicle secure, but very powerful nonetheless. Having your car windows etched with your registration number, for example, is highly off-putting to a criminal. This ploy will make your car harder to sell and easier to identify, and therefore much less desirable to a crook.

What’s more, you won’t have to look too far to put this deterrent into action, as your friendly, local mechanic will more than likely assist you. Alternatively, you can buy a handy vehicle etching kit online. Amazon and other well-known e-commerce stores offer such packages, which routinely come with step-by-step instructions to help you to do the etching easily yourself. 

Tint your car windows

There are some fantastic advantages to tinting your car windows! Not only will you have increased privacy, but you’ll also have an extra deterrent in place, as thieves are far less likely to try to steal a car if they can’t even see inside to check whether someone is there. Be careful, however, as this tip counts as a car modification and may affect your insurance. Seek advice and quotes for modified car insurance from a reputable company, such as a MoneyBeach, before having your car windows tinted. 

Also bear in mind that the law – at least in the UK – doesn’t allow you to do anything literally when tinting your windows. As the GOV.UK website explains, your front window and front side windows must permit a certain amount of light to pass through. 

Steering wheel locks

A classic anti-theft device, a steering wheel lock immobilizes the steering wheel of a car – as its name suggests. And a person who can’t steer a vehicle, also can’t steal that car. Steering wheel locks act as both a physical and visual deterrent. The idea is that if a would-be thief is scoping a car park in the hope of finding an ideal vehicle to steal, they will be immediately deterred from targeting one with a steering wheel lock. This device isn’t exactly easy to overlook once fitted, and the mere sight of one should be enough to send a bandit running in the opposite direction. Countless standard retailers sell this security deterrent, and prices are reasonable, so it is a small price to pay to keep your car secure.

Keep your keys close by at all times

Find us a driver who hasn’t, at least once in their lifetime, misplaced their car keys; we’ll wait. It’s easy to lose keys down the back of the sofa – or under loads of paperwork on your desk at the office – but the consequences can be devastating. So, to keep your car secure at all times, get into the habit of putting your keys somewhere safe, no matter where you are. If you’re at home, pop them in your bedroom cabinet drawer, and if you’re at work, keep them in your bag.

Do you feel better now?

There you have it – just seven proven and useful methods for making your vehicle more secure against the various do-badders out there. Combine several of them for your car, and you’ll have the luxury of being even more confident of your vehicle not being broken into. While the use of a steering wheel lock will be undoubtedly impactful on its own, going further by having your car’s windows etched and parking the vehicle somewhere safe – to name just some of the measures you can adopt – will give you further vital peace of mind.