Nothing will change the way you think about burglary until it happens to you; only then are you likely to think about what you leave in your parked car while shopping the Burke, VA area, or anywhere in Northern Virginia. Use these tips to help prevent auto break-ins and keep your “stuff” safe.
- Out of sight, out of mind: hide your valuables. The type of criminal that is likely to to break into your vehicle is not likely to be a criminal mastermind. A reactionary measure and impulsive action in response to seeing a valuable item in the vehicle. Seats, dashboards and floorboards — while convenient — are not the right place to store purses, briefcases, computers or any other valuable item.
- In sight, in mind: make sure your vehicle is visible when parked. Criminals don’t want witnesses, so parking where others are often found is important. Park in well-lit spaces near entrances when possible.
- Remember Fort Knox: lock your doors, roll-up the windows and close the sunroof. While this should be mostly obvious, these simple tasks will prevent many from considering your belongings their own and going after them.
- Key to prevention: keep your car key in a safe place. Even though you think hiding your spare key in the magnet box above the tire or under the hood is a good idea, a thief may think so too — then you lose.
- Place all items in the overhead (or rear-end) compartment before landing: don’t wait until you get to your destination to hide the laptop in the trunk. Thieves will often watch parking lots for drivers doing just this — it’s very helpful in locating their next victim.
