Here are a number of tips for helping to deter the attention of thieves and prevent the theft of belongings from inside your car or truck when traveling.
Obviously, one of the first tips for protecting belongings in your car from theft when traveling is where you choose to park. When parking, consider the sightlines to your vehicle. Thieves don’t want to operate out in the open, so the more visibility your vehicle has, the less likely thieves will target it. Cars that are more out of sight will be more attractive to thieves. Try to park within sight of busy entrances to stores or other establishments or near the hotel entrance.
if you’re concerned about your personal safety, using parking garage versus street parking is a better option whenever available.
Parking at night
If your car will be parked at night, try to park as close as possible to a streetlamp or busy corner. Essentially, anywhere out in the open where a thief would be visible.
When you are parking in lots at airports, whenever possible, the optimal place is spots that are within view of the parking office or the exit tollbooth, or in view of a kiosk or shuttle pickup location. Again, these are the most visible areas.
If you have valuable items inside your car, it’s best to remove and place these items in your trunk. Plus, don’t carry around any items you don’t need to that may be safer stored in your hotel room while you are traveling about.
The last thing you want to do is advertise what you have. If you plan on stowing things in your trunk, load and/or hide these items into your trunk before reaching your final destination, whether it be at the hotel, event, or anywhere else you are going. You don’t want any thieves who may be lurking about to witness what is being put in the trunk – that’s advertising! Thieves are much more likely to target what they know is there, but unlikely to break into a random trunk, that for all they know, is empty.
When thieves look into a car and they see all kinds of towels and/or jackets, they naturally assume these items could be there to try to cover up and hide valuable items. However, a neat and tidy car that is free from clutter, looks bare, and is less likely to stir up interest by thieves.
