We keep hearing of the tricks that car thieves are using these days, from cloning all the way through the spectrum to car-jacking. Our sponsor will be happy to advise you on security matters (please message Dave Carley for his details), but also please learn to recognise possible “traps” before it’s too late. Below are some do’s and don’ts which although simple, are easy to overlook or forget when they happen. 1) Obviously, DON’T leave valuables in sight in your vehicle – place them in the boot, glovebox or under a seat out of sight of opportunist thieves. 2) DON’T leave your keys in the ignition when you leave the car for ANY reason. a. Some car thefts are due to people leaving the motor running to close their gate, get a newspaper, or whatever – if you leave the car, LOCK IT and take the keys with you. b. A ploy that some thieves use is to leave a baby carrier by the side of the road with a blanket over it (usually by a field with bushes) – you get out to investigate and at best they just jump in and drive off. There have been reported cases of violence or worse happening to people stopping in such circumstances. Drive past a good distance, and report the matter to the police – DON’T stop and investigate without back-up under ANY circumstances. c. If the road is blocked by an obstacle or sign in any way, take your keys with you before you remove the obstruction. Or back up and find an alternative route. d. If someone throws eggs at your windscreen, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES use your wash/wipe. Using water makes the egg on your screen go foggy and you won’t be able to see at all. Just using the wipers will smear the egg around, but won’t fog the glass. If you can still see where you are going, drive on to a petrol station without using the wipers at all. 3) When locking your car in a superstore or shopping centre car-park, check that the car is actually locked by going around and checking ALL the door handles and boot. a. Some car thefts are due to people blocking the signal your key fob sends to the car. If the doors won’t lock, it’s more than likely that someone is sitting in a car nearby with a lap-top. Look around and see if you can see anyone sitting in a car – take a picture if you have a mobile phone of the car in question, but take the picture from between cars facing the suspect, as if you have found the thieves, they may try to leave in a hurry and won’t worry about hitting you. b. Call the police if you are at all suspicious and explain you believe someone is blocking your signal with a lap-top. 4) Always try to park in well lit areas with constant through traffic. 5) If you have a garage, USE IT - always. 6) DON’T leave your car keys on the table in your hall – keep them in a jacket or out of sight. Under NO circumstances challenge a suspected car thief. No matter how big you are, if they are in a car, they won’t think twice about injuring you, the same goes for thieves on foot – take a picture if you are able, but do not put yourself in danger for a car – cars can be replaced, you can’t. Use the rules of recognition – Size (bigger or smaller than you), Age, Race, Clothing. Call the police and let them deal with pursuit – the more information you can give them the better. Most places have good CCTV, use it to your advantage! I’ve not covered every possibility (alarms/immobilisers, etc), but by following a few basic ground rules, you can help to protect your property!
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 23:19:51 +0000
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