Make sure you are locking your car after parking.
I know that we cover hijacking safety tips often, this is because hijackings are a common occurrence in KwaZulu – Natal and criminals don’t seem like they are planning on slowing down their devilish antics anytime soon. We need to make sure we are always locking our cars.
Take a look at this tip to minimize the likelihood of your vehicle being stolen or your valuables being stolen from your car while parked.
Get into the habit of trying to open a car door before leaving the parking area.
I’m sure, on occasion, you may have forgotten to lock your car and have had that nervous, heart racing, palms sweating feeling when getting back to the car, clicking the unlock button and not hearing the unlock sound.
After nervously pulling on the handle to open the car door and hearing the *click* then actually seeing the door open without unlocking it, a feeling of shock and relief explodes at the same time. On the one hand, you are shocked that you forgot to lock your car (even though at the end of the day we are only human, we make mistakes and forget to do things) and two, relieved that your car is actually where you left it and that nobody took it.
To avoid this from happening, there is a very simple and easy tip to incorporate when locking your car.
When you have parked your car and you’re heading into the office or the grocery store or anywhere, lock your car and then attempt to open the door. It can even be the door that you just exited from. I generally try to open the driver’s door to know as soon as possible that my car is indeed locked. If the door opens, then you know before heading to your appointment/activity/ errand that you have forgotten to lock your car.
It is all to easy to have left your car in the parking lot and then only realize while you are doing your shopping or are already in a restaurant consuming a scrumptious meal that you might have forgotten to lock your car. Most people won’t disrupt the task that they are currently busy with to go and check if they have actually locked their car because they would much prefer to get their shopping over and done with or not leave their food to get cold at a restaurant.
It is much easier to incorporate:
- Parking your car
- Exiting your vehicle
- Pressing the lock button
- Attempting to open a door (to make sure the car is actually locked) and
- Heading to your activity knowing that your car is locked
Sometimes, criminals attempt to remote jam your car, this is when they press a remote at the same time as you press yours, to counteract the signal your remote sends to your car to lock it. This leaves your car unlocked for thieves to steal the valuables in your vehicle and also the vehicle itself.
Other times, we are late for an appointment or in a rush because we woke up late or took too long to get ready. When we are in a rush to get somewhere, our main concern is to get to that place as soon as possible. So, when exiting the car, you are thinking about getting to your appointment/activity as quickly as possible rather than placing emphasis on locking your car hence, sometimes we forget to lock them.
So to put your mind at ease before leaving your car, lock it and then make sure it is locked by trying to open a car door. If the door doesn’t open then you can carry on with your upcoming activity. If the car is not locked you can make sure that you do lock it and carry on with your day knowing that you have left your car as safe as possible.
Have you got any interesting tips to help secure the safety of your vehicle? What are some of the safety tips you follow when locking your car and other precautionary measures you take while getting into your car, driving and when leaving your car?
Send your answers through to siren@bluesecurity.co.za. We would love to hear from you.