As a car driver and owner, you need to understand that even the best car insurance in North Carolina or in any state for that matter isn’t enough to keep your car from getting stolen. The fact remains that up to 15,000 cars are stolen every year, and that’s just in North Carolina.
Car insurance only helps you to recover the cost of repairing or replacing your car should it get stolen or damaged in an accident. If you really love your car and you want to help make sure it doesn’t get stolen in the first place, you may want to use the right anti theft devices.
Here are some of your best options:
- Electronic tracking systems. Systems like Lojack have earned quite a reputation for recovering stolen cars. It’s true that they don’t prevent the initial theft of the car, but at least you get a chance to get it back. When the car is reported stolen to the company, the security system in the car activates. The security company can then track the location of the car and they can alert the police to retrieve the car and also arrest the car thieves.
- Kill switches. To keep the car from being stolen, the security system shuts down the electrical system of your car. This security system is activated when you lock the car, and then when you come back you need to deactivate the kill switch which you install in a hidden place. The kill switch can also activate if someone tries to bypass your alarm or if they try to hot wire the car. The great thing about kill switches is that you don’t need to be a car expert to install it.
- Electronic immobilisers. This is often a standard security measure for many new cars these days. You have a key fob with radio frequency ID (RFID), and the system inside only recognises your particular key fob frequency and ID chip. When someone tries to start the car without it, the system will lock up the fuel system so the thieves can’t start your car engine.
- Car alarms. This is rather low-tech, but it sure deters criminals very well. Your car can cause rather disturbing ruckus for any predetermined signal that an attempt is being made to steal your car. This signal can be when someone tries to open the car door without a key, or if the thief breaks the car window glass. In some cases, the alarm can blare if someone touches the car.
- Tire locks. Lots of drivers hate tire locks, because they’re a favorite device of cops who lockdown cars of drivers with unpaid parking tickets. But the same principle holds—no one can take the car away from where it stands without the key to the tire locks. That includes car thieves.
- Hood locks. This isn’t really a device to prevent automotive theft. But some thieves aren’t after your car. They’re just after your car battery and other goodies under the hood. This lock keeps the hood from opening to frustrate these criminals.
- Steering wheel locks. This is another very popular option, and it works very simply. It keeps the steering wheel from turning, so a thief can’t drive your car away.
Of course, you’re not limited to just using one of these devices. You can use several of them to work together to really keep the thieves at bay. You should even ask for recommendations from your car insurance company about which security devices to install. When you do follow your recommendations, you may find your insurance premiums just a bit more affordable.