Christmas Shopping is upon us, with many of you out spending your hard earned cash on gifts for loved ones & out & about enjoying festive get togethers we thought we would give you a few tips to keeping safe this season.
Its estimated £1.5bn of presents are kept in the boot of peoples cars for ‘safety’…yes it keeps them out of the way from kids & anyone sneaking a peak, however, its now a well known spot for thieves to target & steal you’re stash! Unless your car is parked, locked, alarmed in a secure garage have a rethink on where might be a better spot.
Prestige cars are still very much a target so please do not leave your keys near front doors or on hooks on display, don’t make it easy for your keys & car to be stolen. Also avoid leaving your ownership paperwork in the vehicle. If your number plate is stolen report it as soon as possible, it maybe being used on another vehicle.
Here’s our top 5 Tips for being out & about:
- Ensure your vehicle is securely locked, windows & sunroofs shut when you park it – its easy to be in a rush & forget to lock up so always check
- Remove SatNavs & valuables from the car, avoid leaving jackets, jumpers & coats on view as they are often mistaken for hiding valuables so make perfect smash & grabs for opportunists
- Park near entrances to shopping centres & where possible in view of CCTV – a high footfall area makes for a less desirable theft opportunity
- Again in Restaurant & pub car parks try to park so the vehicle is visible, even if not by you it makes it less of a target
- If you are out shopping, avoid ‘popping back’ to offload shopping then leaving the vehicle again in the same spot, if you have unloaded & someone is watching your car they will take a chance you will be another hour before you pop back to the car again…plenty of time to empty your neatly packaged shopping! If you are unloading, where possible MOVE your car to a new space & securely lock it with nothing on display before continuing your trip
Last but not least COLD MORNINGS no one wants to get into a cold iced up car, most of us are guilty of popping out putting the car on and popping back in until the ice has cleared and we are ready to go…Don’t!
Leaving your car running while unattended will make it really easy for a chancer to jump in & drive off, leaving the keys in it running invalidates insurance – instead speak to one of the team about remote start options for your car.
Keep safe this season