One of the worst possible surprises in life is finding out your car is stolen. It’s just downright terrible. You wake up in the morning ready to take on the challenges of the day only to realize the car you parked in the curb last night is nowhere to be found. You’ve worked hours to get it and now somebody just swiped it away from you. There are countless of gadgets and gizmos out there that can help, but safety always starts with the owner. We’ve listed the best ways to prevent your car from getting stolen.

Ways to Prevent Your Car From Getting Stolen

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one car gets stolen every 44 seconds in the US. Of this number, only half gets recovered. The other half is sold in underground black markets or take to chop shops for parts.

Nobody wants their beloved car in a chop shop. That’s why it’s always necessary to ensure that our cars don’t get stolen.

Have a Garage

This tip is not really applicable to all car owners but it’s arguably the best way to dissuade a thief from targeting your car. Most thieves look for the easiest pickings for a quick and clean job. Parking your car in your garage gives them a lot of problems which makes your car a little less enticing for them.

While renting a garage can be quite a hefty investment for those who live in the city, it can be worth it especially when your car is worth a lot.

Have a Well-Maintained Car

Following the ideas behind the broken windows theory, having a well-maintained car will make thieves think twice about jacking your car. When your car is visibly clean and obviously taken cared of, they will assume that you are keeping a close eye on your car or have an alarm installed. As what was mentioned on #1, they would rather go on the easy jobs than take a risk.

Have an Alarm Sticker or LED

When carjackers take a look at a line of cars, they don’t only consider which one will sell more. They will be looking for the one that won’t give them too much trouble. Just like how most homes have stickers saying “Protected by X Company” to deter thieves, keeping a sticker or alarm LED will do the same to carjackers. It doesn’t matter if the sticker or LED is true or not, they won’t take the risk of finding out.

Take Your Valuables With You

One mistake people make when they leave their cars parked outside is leaving the valuables inside – even if it’s out of sight in the glovebox.

Not only does this make your car a much better target for the carjackers, it also shows you are a bit careless. They will think you won’t have an alarm installed or you might even have left the doors unlocked.

Always Park in a Safe Zone

This is quite self-explanatory, if you park your car in an area with frequent cases of carjacking then the chances of your car getting stolen gets higher. If you don’t have a garage, try to park your car in a well-lighted area. A place with a neighborhood watch is also preferable.

Use the “Club”

There’s no big surprise that a metal bar is the most popular anti-theft device in the metropolitan areas of the country. While it is not 100% effective as there are still ways to take it off, it still works as a great “you’ll spend an extra 5 minutes to take this off” warning for would-be carjackers.

Drive a Manual

While this may sound like a funny thing to include in our list, multiple instances of would-be thieves thinking twice of stealing a car once they see a shift stick. So if you are thinking of getting a new car and would want to lessen its chances of getting stolen, think about getting a manual this time around.

Don’t Leave Your Car Running

This one is quite simple yet there are still people who take chances with leaving their cars running to grab something “fast”. You know what’s faster? A thief who can easily spot a driverless car that’s idling by the curb.

While thieves are getting more and more resourceful every day with their methods, one thing still rings true – they don’t want to get caught. So, take steps make your car a harder target for these carjackers.

How about you? What’s your #1 tip for keeping your car safe from getting stolen?