Our top 3 tips for protecting your vehicle from car thieves

With the dark nights closing in, it’s time to start thinking about the ways in which you can help deter thieves from attempting to steal your vehicle in the dead of night. Many vehicles are stolen with keyless technology, but plenty are stolen with more traditional brute force techniques as well. So, here at Intack Self Drive we’ve put together a list of our top 3 tips that will help you reduce the risk of your vehicle being stolen, many of which we use right here for protecting our own fleet.

Double check your locks

This might seem like an obvious one, but you’d be surprised by just how many people forget to check the locks on their cars and vans. Most vehicles will use an audible or visual signal to let you know when they’re locked, and others will feature ‘pins’ on the inside of the windows, which will lower when the doors have been properly locked. As a side note, try not to solely rely on your key fob, as a lot of thieves can now use ‘jammers’ to intercept the signal between the fob and the car. Our advice - keep your keys well away from the front door of your home and put them in a coffee tin. This will protect the signal emitted from your keys from being copied or hijacked by car thieves.

It might seem like overkill, but checking your doors individually is the only way to be 100% certain that your car is locked.

Choose your parking space wisely

As a general rule, whether you’re at home or out in public, it’s always best to park your car in a space that’s well-lit, and in full view of passers-by. Avoid any dark, dimly lit alleys, and if possible, try and park somewhere with a CCTV system in operation nearby, as this is another great deterrent against car thieves. What’s more, we’d always advise investing in your own driveway security systems, such as alarms or security bollards, as these will give you that little bit of extra peace of mind when you park up at home after a long day.

Keep your valuables out of sight

There are certain people out there who will think nothing of doing a bit of ‘window shopping’ as they pass by your car. So don’t give them the opportunity - keep all your valuables out of sight and out of the “shop window”. Things like phones, wallets, bulky bags and any technology like Sat-Navs or dashcams are all prime targets for thieves. Remember, not all thieves are out to steal your car, but they might be tempted to steal its contents.

Vehicle security is something we take very seriously here at Intack Self Drive. In fact, we use a lot of the tips discussed above in the protecting of our own vehicles because they’re simple and reliable, much like our rental services…

All of our rental vehicles come with the option to rent through our daily hire, or our unique Flexi hire services, so whatever your needs, we’ll have a vehicle that suits your requirements. We’ve got almost half a century of car hire, minibus hire and van hire experience under our belt , and we’re always here to help. Ready to get started? You can browse the best hire deals right here on our site, or give us a call on 01254 57811!