In the UK, the number of stolen vehicles rose by 3% in 2021, as the police reported 48,400 vehicles as being stolen. That’s an average of 930 stolen vehicles per week! Failing to take the precautionary steps to protect your vehicle increases your risk of becoming a victim of this crime. In this article, we will explain the different measures you can take to protect your vehicle from theft and discuss the fastest way to recover your vehicle when stolen.
5 Ways to Protect Your Vehicle Against Theft
Just as cars are becoming more advanced, so are the thieves who are targeting them. Here’s 5 amazing ways to protect your vehicle against theft:
1. Double check your car is locked
This may seem obvious, but with thieves having the ability to “jammers” to intercept the signal between your key and your car, it’s always best to double check your car is actually locked.
2. Place your keys in a metal box inside your home
Thieves can now carry out ‘relay’ attacks by using a device to receive the key signal from inside the home and transferring the signal to a box which they can place alongside your car. Consequently, this method can be used to trick your car into thinking the key is present, allowing thieves to unlock your vehicle without having your key. To counteract this activity, you should place your keys inside a metal box because the signal is unable to penetrate through metal materials.
3. Choose a safe place to park
Parking in a safe or secure location is a simple way to reduce the likelihood of your car being targeted. Parking in a well-lit area which is open to public view is usually a safe bet. Alternatively, if you’re choosing a car park, choose one with CCTV and security patrol officers.
4. Hide your belongings
Don’t give thieves a reason to break into your car. Hide all your belongings or take them with you when your exit your vehicle.
5. Take care of your keys
Taking care of your keys in another simple and easy way to prevent car theft. Many thieves are opportunists, so if you give them the chance to steal your keys, they will! You should never leave your keys unattended in a public place, and whilst you’re at home, you should never keep your keys near to entry/exit points.
The Fastest Way to Recover Stolen Vehicles
The fastest way to recover a stolen vehicle is to equip the vehicle with GPS tracking technology. It takes only a few minutes to install GPS hardware in your vehicle. At Dropapin, we offer two types of GPS trackers, the DP001 and the DP100.
The DP001 is the quickest to install. All you need to do is plug the tracker into the OBD port of your vehicle, which is usually located underneath the steering wheel. Alternatively, the DP100 takes a few more minutes to install, as you must attach the tracker to your vehicle’s battery. Nevertheless, both trackers can be installed within approximately 5-10 minutes.
Once your trackers are installed, you can then use Dropapin to track your vehicles, equipment or any other assets in real-time. This means you will be able to locate and recover your vehicle with ease in the event of theft. Furthermore, you can set up geofence alerts in Dropapin which notify you when one of your trackers enters or leaves a specified area. As a result, you will instantly be made aware of any unauthorised movement of your vehicles or assets.
Final Thoughts
Thank you for taking the time to read our article. We hope you now have a better understanding of how you can protect and recover your vehicles and assets. If you have any questions regarding any of the topics discussed in this article, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. A member of our expert team will always be happy to help.
