You probably had no idea that all a good car thief needs to steal your stuff or even your car is 20 seconds. According to a former thief, he and his partners had to act very fast, since they kept in mind that from the moment they broke someone’s window, someone nearby was already on the phone with the police. They didn’t just target cars that were parked for a long time, but also cars whose owners had stopped for a few minutes or even seconds to drop something off. Their pace was so fast that absolutely nobody was safe.
Bright Side would like to warn you about some of the things that might prevent your car from being stolen or broken into.
1. Put your most valuable things in the trunk.
Thieves have so little time to do their thing that they almost never open the trunk. They will steal whatever seems of value from inside the car, but never the trunk. That’s why it would be really wise of you to store any valuable items in there, like suitcases, your coat, or even your personal bag.
2. Always park where there are lights around.
Now, it’s pretty obvious why parking your car in a dark spot can be dangerous. The former thief says that he and his partners never broke into cars that were parked in well-lit spaces, but only into the ones that were parked somewhere in the dark. You should always pick a spot that has some light around to make sure that any type of crime will be seen by someone.
3. Remove your radio’s faceplate.
There are some thieves who look to exclusively steal your car radio system. Removing the faceplate and hiding it somewhere else in your car will definitely disappoint them. They will either see that it’s missing and not even break into your car or break into it, but not take anything with them. Like we said above, there’s no time for them to start searching around the car, so they will probably move on to the next car.
4. Hide your valuables under your car seat.
If you don’t want to leave your personal bag in a visible place—and you can’t put it in the trunk, you can simply put it under your seat. Most thieves will take a peek into your car before breaking into it and if they don’t see anything they like, they will probably move on. They will not risk getting caught just to see if you’re hiding anything valuable under your car seat.