Nearly 50,000 cars are stolen across Australia each year.
50,000. That number is staggering.
Thieves can easily hot wire older vehicles, but for modern cars this is almost impossible thanks to advancements in technology. Unfortunately, around 70% of car thefts involve the use of the car's own keys, and around half of car thefts occur at home, either from the driveway, garage or carport.
How, you ask? Opportunistic thieves look for unlocked doors and windows to gain entry to your property, and around 95% of these instances involve no confrontation with the homeowner.
Today we look at how to prevent vehicle theft using two simple but effective methods to deter thieves, and what can be done to recover your car in the event it is stolen:
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When home, ensure all doors and windows are locked
This might sound simple, but us humans get complacent. Even if you're at home, making sure you and your family follow this simple rule to deter thieves from gaining entry to your home in the first place. If all doors and windows are locked, thieves may not even attempt to gain access, and if they do they'll certainly run the risk of making more noise and alerting you to their presence. -
Hide your keys out of sight
Don't leave your keys unattended on the bench, coffee table or on visible keyhooks. This makes it easy for thieves to work out where you keep your keys when you're at home and how to quickly take them.
Other good habits to learn:
- Don't hide a second set of keys in your car
- Don't include your name and/or address on your keys
- Never leave keys in the ignition while your car is unattended
- Take all keys whenever you leave home
- Don't leave your car windows ajar
- Store all valuables out of sight when your car is parked
In the unfortunate event your vehicle is still stolen, fitting a GPS tracking system can dramatically increase your chances of recovery, and in a short window after the theft has occurred. Here's how a car GPS tracker can alert you to theft, as well as assist in quick recovery:
- Ignition alerts will notify you if your vehicle is turned on
- Creating a geofence around your property will notify you if your vehicle leaves the area, even if it hasn't been started. BlackOwl Teltonika GPS trackers can detect if a vehicle is being towed by using the built-in accelerometer and ignition detection function
- Frequent tracking updates ensure you get up to date location information from your vehicle so that authorities can track it down quickly
- BlackOwl GPS can also grant Police across Australia temporary access to your vehicle's location in the event of a theft. But make sure you call 000 first.
- Having access to detailed tracking history can be very useful to authorities when investigating the theft. A detailed route from your property will be available to download, including speed and other important information such as driving behaviour (if enabled). All BlackOwl car GPS trackers record 1 year of detailed tracking history on our secure Australia based server.
Want to find out more about a GPS tracking system for your car or other vehicle? Give us call now on 0404 188 404 or email us at info@blackowlgps.com.au