EXPERTS have shared three effective methods to protect your motor in 2024 after thefts hit an all-time high last year.
Security specialists from Swansway Motor Group, a family-owned dealership brand based in Cheshire, shared the handy tips and emphasised the importance of “strategic thinking” to stay one step ahead of criminals.
Data from LV General found that 2023 was the worst year on record for car thefts, making it more important than ever to know how to keep your vehicle safe.
Fortunately the team at Swansway have all the tricks you need.
First of all, they urged drivers to consider “strategic parking” to both make the car harder to steal and make it a less attractive target.
Thieves are more likely to try and pinch motors that are out of the way and in non-secure spaces.
Instead, try and store yours in a locked garage, barrier-protected car park or, at least, a well-lit street, preferably with CCTV coverage.
This will make it much harder to make off with it without being spotted.
The second tip is to use “old-fashioned” visual deterrents.
Things like steering wheel locks and distinctive custom markings or bright paintwork can make it more time-consuming to actually steal the car and harder to conceal it afterwards.
Even keeping your car very clean can put off any shady characters as opportunistic thieves tend to target neglected vehicles on the basis that they won’t be missed.
Finally, the experts also shared a nifty trick for combatting a more modern and sinister form of theft.
The rise of keyless ignition has led to the increasing chance of “relay thefts“, where criminals intercept the signal by which your key fob communicates with your car and replicate it, as good as handing them the keys.
Fortunately, this can be easily prevented by keeping your fob in a Faraday pouch, which blocks wireless signals, when not in use.
A Swansway spokesperson said: “Faraday pouches are a simple, yet highly effective tool.
“By shielding your car keys from external signals, these pouches prevent remote signal interceptions, a common method used by modern thieves to gain access to vehicles without needing the physical key.”
It comes after it was revealed that Brits would soon be able to turn their kettle on from their car as two major brands inked a deal with Samsung.
