How to prevent car and garage break-ins

October is Car Safety Month, and as the temperatures start to cool, this is the time of year when car and garage break-ins generally tend to increase. You can keep your family and your home safe by following these simple tips for preventing car and garage break-ins.

CAR SAFETY

• Remove your valuables: it seems like a basic tip, but if something can be seen, it’s more tempting for a thief to want to break-in to your car. Always remove valuables from your car and keep items out of sight (sunglasses, cell phone, etc.).
• Pick a good parking spot: if you’re home, it’s always advised that you park your vehicle in your garage. If there’s no room or you don’t have a garage, choose to park in a well-lit area.
• Install an alarm: a common best practice would be to install an alarm for your vehicle, if you don’t have one already. Not only do car alarms help alert you when something is wrong, they really help in deterring criminals.
• Lock your doors: yes, it’s the number one way to stop a break-in of your car—lock your doors!

GARAGE SAFETY

• Install a security system: your best line of defence in protecting your home and garage from break-ins is a security system. This will deter criminals, but also dispatch emergency services as soon as a break-in is taking place.
• Keep your windows covered: if you happen to have windows in your garage, make sure you keep them covered any time you are not in there. Again, if things are in sight, it’s enticing for a potential burglar.
• Use motion detectors: a great tactic you can use to prevent break-ins, is to install motion censored lights outside your garage, which will trigger a light onto whoever is making the movement. If a burglar is around, this will put some much-needed light on them and deter them from the scene.
• Get to know your neighbours: this may not seem like an obvious one, but having a good relationship with your neighbours will keep a sense of safety and security in your community. Neighbours can look out for each other and watch over another’s property when they are out of town.

Do you have more safety tips to prevent car and garage break-ins? Share them with us on Twitter!