Tip and advice

Vehicle security

Vehicle crime has been falling for a number of years, mainly due to measures taken by the vehicle manufacturers to make them harder to steal and a greater awareness of the risks by car owners.  However, criminals are always then on the look out for opportunities to take advantage of our lax approach to our vehicle’s contents.

In order to reduce the risk of being a victim of vehicle crime, Zurich offers the following advice:

• Don’t keep valuable items in your car. If you do have Sat Nav’s, or other expensive items, make sure they are stored out of view – in the boot or in a lockable glove-box.
• Consider removing your Sat Nav cradle as well. Criminals know that most people will store their Sat Nav devices in their glove box so just need an indication that you may have one in the car.
• Make sure all electronic goods are switched off if you leave them in the vehicle. Criminals have been known to scour car parks looking for active bluetooth devices which have been left in vehicles.
• Alarm your vehicle – and make sure you use it every time you leave the car unattended.
• Try to park in areas which are well-lit or in a secure car park.
• Never leave your keys in the vehicle even for a moment. It may be tempting if you are at a petrol station or just when you need to ‘pop’ back into your house or office, but thieves are opportunists and if you do this, your insurance is most unlikely to cover your loss.
• Keep your keys secure. As cars are now nearly impossible to use without them, your keys are the most important tool criminals need.
• Don’t keep your keys near your front door or window. Thieves use hooks to poke through letter boxes to take your keys during the night.
• Use additional locks in your vehicle – steering wheel locks are nearly impossible to remove without a key and make the car impossible to drive.
• Check your vehicle’s security rating with Thatcham and consider getting an approved security immobiliser system if required.