You put a lot of time, money and effort into your vehicles, and the last thing you need is to have someone break in and steal your valuables. Most vehicle break-ins are opportunistic in nature. That means little mistakes – like leaving your phone on the seat – is all it takes to tempt a thief.
The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to deter would-be thieves! With a few simple upgrades to your car, you can make your vehicle harder to break into, and that’s usually enough to stop a thief in their tracks. In this article we’ll look at how you can protect your car from break ins and prevent thieves from ruining your day.
The Best Ways to Protect Car Windows From Break Ins
1. Be Aware of Your Surroundings
Prevention is the best way to protect your vehicle from break ins. Whenever you park your car, make sure you take a moment to have a look at where you are. Make note of things like:
Whether other cars are parked in the area
Any groups of people hanging out in the street
Where your car is visible from
Security in the area, such as CCTV cameras
You should also take into account how long you’re going to be gone. It only takes a few moments to break into a car, but if a would-be thief thinks that you’re ducking into the shops for a moment, they will be less likely to attempt a break in.
2. Park Under Lights
Street lights, porch lights and motion detecting lights are one of the simplest theft-prevention devices available. Making your car highly visible increases the risk to would-be thieves, making them less likely to break a window or attempt to steal your car.
3. Remove Valuables from Your Car
Like we said above, the majority of vehicle theft and vehicle break ins are opportunistic in nature. If a thief sees something of value sitting in your car they may be tempted to steal it. On the other hand, if no valuables are visible, the risk of being caught is enough to deter most break ins.
The best way to prevent break ins is to remove valuables from your car entirely. Take your phone, wallet and keys with you whenever you leave the car, and don’t leave shopping bags, boxes or other obvious targets in the vehicle for long periods. If you do need to store things in your car, you can use cargo blinds or a dark blanket to disguise them.
4. Install an Aftermarket Car Alarm
Prevention is the best medicine, but it won’t deter every thief. The next step is to start upgrading your car. Most new cars come with car alarms pre-installed. These alarms rely on door sensors and shock sensors to detect when someone is attempting to break into your car. If your car doesn’t have an alarm, an aftermarket system is a simple and affordable way to deter thieves.
Aftermarket car alarms use loud horns or sirens to warn away thieves. Plus, many insurance companies offer a discount if you have an aftermarket alarm installed, so you can save a little bit of money while you’re at it.
5. Use a Motion-Detecting Dash Cam
Dash cameras are a great way to monitor activity on the road. But they’re also perfect for protecting your car when it’s parked. Most dash cameras come with modes that use motion sensors to turn the camera on and off when people or vehicles come too close to your car. This is a perfect deterrent because it allows you to capture video footage of would-be thieves.
6. Tint Your Windows
Window tint is a popular option for cars in Australia. The tint keeps the sun out and reduces summer temperatures, but did you know that tint can also deter thieves? Installing window tint does two main things:
It makes your windows more difficult to break
It makes it harder to see into your car, which can prevent thieves from being tempted in the first place
Remember, thieves are opportunistic, so anything you can do to disguise or obscure the inside of your car will help prevent break ins.
7. Buy a GPS Tracker
A thief that breaks your window is usually just looking to steal something valuable that’s sitting on the seat. In the worst case, a thief may steal the car itself, and a GPS tracker is the cheapest way to make sure you get the vehicle back.
GPS car trackers come in all shapes and sizes. Some manufacturers sell dedicated systems designed for tracking cars, but you can also get away with simpler solutions, such as Apple’s AirTag. Hide a GPS tag somewhere in your car and you’ll be able to track its location and help police recover the vehicle.
Protect Your Car from Break Ins with Access Auto Electrics!
There are lots of little things you can do to protect your car from would-be thieves. If you’re serious about security though, there’s no substitute for aftermarket car alarms and dash cams. Don’t wait until the worst happens – get in touch with the team at Access Auto Electrics and Air Conditioning and let us design a security solution for your car!
Access Auto Electrics provides auto electrical services to individuals and businesses throughout Brisbane. Whether you need car alarms for your personal vehicle, or a solution for your company fleet, we can design and install security systems that keep your cars safe. We work with high quality products that we use ourselves, so you can rest assured our car alarms, dash cameras and vehicle security products have you covered. Contact us today to make a booking or to find out more!