When you park your car, you expect that it will remain safe until you return and not be damaged or stolen. The truth is that whenever you park your car, even if it’s outside your house, there is often some sort of security risk, however slim that may be.
The gamble you take is whether your car is truly safe when you leave it. Taking some time to take note of the location of your car and what is inside the car can make all the difference in making sure your car comes to no harm. What follows is a short list of top tips to park safely and also maximise the chances of deterring any opportunist thieves.
Park in well lit, public areas
Car thieves tend to do their dirty work at night, usually under the cover of darkness. Making sure you park near street lights and not down quiet streets can make sure that any would-be carjacker will see your car as too much of a risk to try and steal or break into.
Park near CCTV cameras
As well as the previous point, parking within view of a CCTV camera could deter potential thieves from tampering and if it were to be damaged whilst you are away then there is probably a greater chance of finding those responsible with the help of the camera’s footage.
Keep all valuables and money out of sight
Having valuables such as expensive in-car equipment including satellite navigation units and mobile phones devices on view in your car is asking for criminals to break in. Money should also be hidden from view, make good use of your glove box and if this can be locked then make sure you lock it before leaving your car. Wiping any obvious marks from satellite navigation mounts from your windscreen is vital too and that could be an obvious giveaway that you use and keep one in the vehicle.
Choose your parking space wisely
You may not think it is important but where you park in a public car park such as the supermarket can have consequences. It’s said that it is best to park away from the trolley shelter in car parks as some people are careless and don’t return them properly, causing them to roll away and possibly bang into and scrape your car.
Leave plenty of space either side of your car
Make sure that when you choose your parking space you are able to open your doors with adequate room. If you are parked too close to either side then it will make exiting the car very difficult and other driver may not be as careful with their car doors which could lead to dents or scratches.
These are just a few tips on parking but as long as you are aware of your surroundings and practice a bit of common sense then you should be able to avoid any dangerous situations and minimise risk in order to keep your car in perfect condition.
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Tags: car safety, Motoring, parking