Keep your car safe

Cars are expensive objects and therefore need to be looked after. You should also take steps to keep your car safe and secure to deter potential thieves. 

Looking after your car

• Clean your car regularly inside and out. You can do this yourself or have it professionally valeted. 
• Do not allow long periods of time to pass without having driven your car. This can cause a flat battery. 
• Quickly fix any problems. If you discover any issues with your car you should immediately get them fixed otherwise they may become worse. 
• Do not drive too fast over speed bumps in the road as this can cause some damage.

By law, all cars that are 3 years older or more must have an MOT. This needs to be renewed every year which is the responsibility of the driver. An MOT is a test carried out cars to check that they are still roadworthy. 

Keeping your car safe from theft 

• I know this sounds obvious but lock your car when you are leaving it unattended
• Don’t leave valuables such as your bag, wallet or phone visible in your car. If you have to leave them put them in the boot or glove compartment 
• Park in busy, well-lit areas. Even better try to find a car park that either has staff or security cameras. Park near other cars. 
• Don’t leave your vehicle’s registration or insurance documents in your car. If the car is stolen these documents will allow the car to be sold very easily (and give the thieves your personal information as well). 
• Park your car with the wheels turned to face the curb. This means that if a thief manages to break into your car and start the engine they will need to do some manoeuvring or reversing to straighten the car up giving you (or another witness) some extra time to note down a description or phone the police. 
• Buy a dashcam that records when the engine is switched off. Not only is this a deterrent but if a thief does attempt to break into your car the camera will record everything they do. If a thief notices the camera they are more than likely to scarper (after all they are hardly likely to want to be filmed stealing a car are they?) 
• Buy a steering lock. This is a device that is attached to the steering wheel and is secured with a key. A wheel cannot be turned at all when the lock is applied. Without the key, a steering wheel lock can take a while to break off. A car thief will probably not want to hang around for too long so probably won’t bother trying. 
• Take care of your car keys. When you are out and about keep your keys in your bag or in a zipped pocket. At home, don’t leave your keys in sight or within reach of doors, windows or letterboxes (thieves have been known to use wire to reach through letterboxes to steal keys). 
• Don’t leave your car switched on unattended. I know it is tempting to leave your car switched on to defrost during winter however it is actually against the law to leave a car unattended on a public road with the engine switched on. Besides a thief could simply walk up, get in the car and drive away.