Vehicle Safety & Prevention Tips

• Be Alert and pay attention to your surroundings
• Have your car keys in hand
• Look inside and around the vehicle for anything suspicious
• Get into your car and lock the doors immediately

• Use well-traveled, well-lighted roads when you can
• Keep the doors locked
• Leave an escape route when you stop at intersections
• If you are approached, do not lower your window or open the door
• When possible, use the center lane
• Check your mirrors often
• If you suspect you are being followed, do not go home. Drive to a police station or another safe public place

• Park as close to your destination as possible
• Look for parking spaces in well-lighted areas
• Avoid parking near dumpsters, large vans, or trucks that would obstruct your view of where carjackers may hide
• Roll up your windows before parking
• Keep the vehicle locked until exiting
• Keep valuables out of sight
• Use an anti-theft device

• Look around before getting out
• Take your keys with you
• Keep packages, loose change, garage door openers and valuables out of sight or in the trunk
• Lock the doors right away

There are numerous antitheft systems and devices designed to make vehicles more difficult to steal or easier to trace and recover. Here are how some of them work:

• Audible and Visible Devices deter theft by bringing attention to an unauthorized attempt to steal or enter a vehicle. 
• Immobilizing-Type Devices prevent thieves from bypassing a vehicle’s ignition system and hot-wiring the vehicle
• Vehicle Recovery Systems use electronic transmission technology that help law enforcement reveal the location of stolen vehicles

• insurance fraud
• Insurance rates go up 
• Stolen vehicles are often used to commit other violent crimes 
• Identity theft may occur if important documents were left in your car