Car theft is a problem that keeps happening in Australia. The Australian Insurance Association says that the number of insured cars stolen has stayed pretty much the same for the past ten years. This is true even though not as many cars are stolen these days as they were in the 1990s when the eastern borders opened. The Australian Insurance Association says that the number of stolen passenger cars with full coverage has stayed about the same for the last ten years, at about 18,000 per year. Since the damage cost more than 300 million euros last year, we can safely say that this is not a small crime.
If you own a car, someone could steal it. So, it makes sense to find out how to protect your car from thieves. The following steps are often suggested by vehicle safety experts and Wreckers to make cars less likely to be stolen:
What to do when you get out of the car
You can lower the chance that someone will steal your car by doing the right thing when you leave it. The first step is to park the car in a safe or protected place. This means, for instance, parking in a locked garage at home and picking parking lots that have security cameras or guards when you’re out and about. This is a sign to thieves that they can take a car if someone leaves it parked on the street or in a dark, empty lot where no one is watching.
You should also always check to see if the car is locked when you get out of it. Radio blockers can interfere with signals, which is especially bad if you use a remote control to lock the car and leave it unlocked without you knowing. After that, you should put the car key somewhere safe and not leave it alone. For example, don’t hang your jacket on the coat rack in the restaurant with your car key in your pocket. You should also never leave a spare key in the car. Thieves who steal cars know the best places to hide. WA Auto Parts can help car owners when they need it with reliable local automotive support and services.
Mechanical immobilizers
Using mechanical immobilizers like steering wheel claws or pedal locks is a great way to keep car thieves from getting in. These are strong metal structures that are put inside the car. Classic steering wheel claws or steering wheel locks are attached directly to the steering wheel and stop it from turning, which keeps people who shouldn’t be able to drive from doing so. Pedal locks are often used with steering wheel claws to keep the pedals from moving.
Mechanical immobilizers work well with the electronic immobilizers that come with most new cars. They are not connected to the car’s electronics in any way, and the only way to open them is with the right key or a lot of force. A lot of car thieves don’t want to put in the extra work of having to break a mechanical immobilizer before they can start the car. Most of the time, good steering wheel locks are very strong and can only be broken with special tools and a lot of noise. So, using mechanical immobilizers is already a good way to keep people from stealing, especially opportunistic thieves.
Devices that stop theft electronically
Cars can have both mechanical and electronic anti-theft devices. Mechanical devices include steering wheel locks and pedal locks. Most modern cars now come with an electronic immobilizer as well as an alarm system. But this can be changed. Car thieves can use the ODB interface to get into the vehicle’s diagnostic systems and turn off the immobilizer. You can use an ODB saver to keep this interface in your car safe from people who shouldn’t be able to get to it.
A battery monitor is another kind of electronic anti-theft protection. This is a special tool that goes between the battery and the battery cable in the car. You can then use a remote control to turn off the car’s entire power supply. Because the safety screw connects the device directly to the battery, it is hard to take off without damaging the battery.
Last but not least, you can also put a GPS tracker in your own car. This doesn’t directly help stop theft, but it does let you find out where the stolen car is later.
Conclusion: Keep your car safe from thieves.
There are a lot of ways to keep your car safe from theft these days. Because car thefts happen all the time, it’s definitely worth it to take steps to protect your own car.