Waking up to Car Theft
The following post reflects the opinion of Caroline (a recent victim of car theft.) It does not reflect the opinions of the rest of the staff at M20 (who didn’t sit on a pile of glass this morning to get to work).
It’s a rainy Vancouver morning. You’re running late for work. You walk out the front door to find a trail of shattered glass on the pavement. It leads to your smashed car window. Your glove box has been ransacked and your seats are stained with a stranger’s dirty foot marks.
This happened to me this morning. It is the worst. feeling. ever.
Not only do you feel completely violated, it’s no fun starting your day with an unexpected $300 bill.
Car theft is a part of the criminal fabric of any urban area. While in some cases it’s unavoidable, there are things you can do to make your car less enticing for thieves.
1.) Your car should appear empty of all contents. (Don’t have anything on the seats, on the floor, stuffed into the sides of doors.)
2.) Unplug any cellphone or ipod chargers. They suggest there could be valuable gadgets in your car.
3.) Park your car in well-lit, public areas and as close to your house as possible.
4.) Buy a club or a mechanical wheel locking device or install a loud car alarm.
5.) Though it might get you into insurance issues, you can leave your car unlocked if your problem is just petty theft. That way the thief can take a peak around, see there’s nothing and go (and you don’t have to pay 300 dollars for a new window).
6.) If petty theft is really a problem, throw up a sign that says there’s nothing of value in the car.
That may sound ridiculous but if you’ve lived in an area where a smashed window is part of your regular AM ritual? Trust me: you would rather have somebody open your unlocked door.
Here are more tips if your problem is having your entire car stolen.
Other than those, just hope that you’ve built up good CAR-ma.
Caroline (M20 “PASSENGER WINDOWLESS” INTERN)
