Don't be a Victim of Car Theft

One of the worst feelings in the world is wandering around a parking lot and not being able to find the car. After searching for it, and finally determining it has been stolen, a feeling of violation and anger fills the body, and then a sense of panic sets in. Where is the car, who has it, why was it taken, and what must be done now?

Be Prepared

If the unthinkable happens and a personal vehicle is stolen, it's important to be prepared, and know what to do. First, steps should be taken before any such event even has the possibility of occurring. Before driving a car, make sure that it has insurance on it because if anything should happen to the car, and there is no insurance, it will be too late to get any sort of coverage and the owner of the car will be out a lot of money. Second, make sure to never leave any important items or papers in the car while it is parked anywhere. Even if the area seems very safe and has security, the chance that someone will steal the car and all of its contents is always a possibility. Basically, the rule should be to never leave anything of any value whatsoever inside of a parked car. Third, carry important information in a purse or wallet – not in the glove compartment of a car. If a car is stolen, so are the contents inside of the car. Therefore, if insurance papers and a car registration are in the car when it is stolen, there may be no way of immediately contacting an insurance agent, and the car’s vehicle identification number will be unknown when the theft is reported to the police.

Insurance Companies Won’t Act Immediately

When a car is stolen and reported to the police department, most insurance companies will make the car owner wait several weeks before allowing him or her to purchase a new car. Insurance companies will wait for a period of time because they hope that the police will be able to recover the vehicle in working order. There is usually a set waiting period which is specific to each individual insurance company.

Prevention

The best way to make sure a vehicle is not stolen is to take a few very simple precautionary steps before the car is left alone in a parking lot. First, lock the car’s doors. If there are two identical cars parked next to each other in a parking lot, and one is locked and the other is unlocked, chances are that the one with unlocked doors will be the one stolen. Remove purses, wallets, cellular phones and computers from the car when the car is parked. When a thief walks by a car he is thinking about stealing and sees a wallet (or other item of value) sitting on the front seat, he’s most likely going to want to get inside of that car quickly to see if any money can be stolen (in addition to the car itself). Valuable items in a car are thief-magnets.

Other Tips

Other tips to prevent a car from being the victim of theft are to install an alarm system on the car, use an immobilization device, or install a tracking device in the car so police can locate it if it is ever stolen.