5 Ways to Protect Things Inside Your Car
Protecting Your Possession
Today, many vehicles possess sophisticated technology upgrades. A growing number of drivers and passengers travel with expensive electronic devices and accessories, also. What steps can a car owner take to protect personal possessions on the road? These five precautions may help safeguard automotive property:
1. Lock Your Vehicle
Safety experts recommend always leaving unoccupied parked vehicles locked, with rolled up windows. This step may not prevent every auto theft and burglary, but it will make the vehicle a more difficult target for thieves. (During hot summer months, consider leaving your pets at home rather than waiting for you in a car.) Half of all stolen vehicles involve situations in which owners left the automobile unsecured.
Modern retailers sometimes install cameras in parking lots to deter vehicle break-ins. Yet parking lots in many places do remain relatively unsafe locations. Beaches, malls and mass transit lots frequently become locations for thefts from parked autos. It makes sense to develop a habit of always locking the vehicle after you exit. By completing this task automatically, you’ll reduce the chance of losses due to thefts.
2. Protect Mobile Devices With Cases And Skins
Car insurance quotes often relate to comprehensive insurance coverage of a vehicle, but even drivers who select this broadly-based insurance must use reasonable precautions to protect their personal belongings from mishaps along the road. If you travel with mobile devices in your vehicle, you may help safeguard these expensive electronics by using durable cases and protective skins.
Enclosing a cell phone or tablet within a skin may reduce the chance of damage from spilled beverages, for instance. Placing an electronic device in a case during travel offers extra protection against bumps and jostles. As more people use mobile technology in vehicles, the types of precautions against damage grow more important.
3. Don’t Leave Items Visible Within Parked Vehicles
Many law enforcement officers recommend discouraging vehicular burglaries by not displaying personal belongings in sight in a parked, unattended vehicle. Every year, drivers sustain expensive losses because criminals break into parked autos to steal mobile devices, purses and other items of property.
Taking valuables along with you usually remains a safer course of action than leaving them in a parked vehicle. If you must leave personal property in the car, attempt to conceal items from view beforehand by securing them within interior storage compartments.
4. Use Transponders
Today, many automakers offer their customers the added security of a transponder key. A transponder-activated ignition lock receives signals so that vehicles will only start with the use of a recognized key. Some types of transponders also emit signals, permitting location identification at a distance.
Although reportedly not foolproof, this type of security system offers greater protection for valuables. As drivers install sophisticated and expensive electronic navigation and infotainment features in automobiles, it has become increasingly important to consider high tech security measures, also.
5. Avoid Flooded Areas
Every year, insurance adjusters encounter vehicles damaged by standing in high bodies of water. Even when flooding does not produce visible marks on a vehicle’s exterior, this situation may cause significant automotive depreciation. The complex electronic components in modern automobiles and trucks will not withstand high water well.
Drivers seeking to protect passengers and personal property should take steps to avoid driving through high water. Flooding waters may cause an engine to stall suddenly. If you must leave your vehicle in a flooding area, recognize that the contents will likely sustain damage, too.
Developing Safety Awareness
By making a conscious effort to implement safe practices, drivers help protect their vehicles and personal belongings. Taking precautions to avoid thefts and accidents whenever possible simply makes sense!
