Just Bought a Car? Consider These Antitheft Devices

GPS Tracker

A GPS (Global Positioning System) is the most basic form of car security. The GPS tracker relies on satellite feeds to pinpoint your car’s position with reasonable accuracy. A GPS tracker won’t prevent thieves from stealing your car, but it will increase your chances of recovering the car.

Here are a few tips to help you choose the best GPS tracker:

• The tracker should give your car’s position in real-time.
• The tracker’s battery should last a reasonably long time.
• The tracker should give you reasonable alerts. For example, some trackers will alert you in case someone tries to tamper with it.



Once you install the tracker, check it from time to time to confirm it’s working.

Dashboard Camera

A dashboard camera (dashcam) can record your car’s view through the front windscreen. Some dashcams also record views at the rear and side of the car. Some thieves will move to the next target if they notice a dashcam. Some dashcams (like the ones specialized by companies like Lytx) can also save their footage in the cloud. You can use the footage to identify a thief and help recover your car.

A good dashcam should:

• Capture as wide a view as possible
• Allow remote viewing
• Have a good storage capacity
• Have night vision to enable you to view night footage with reasonable clarity

Mount your dashcam where it doesn’t obstruct your view of the road.

Alarm System

Many new cars come with alarm systems, but some don’t. Consider installing an alarm system if your car doesn’t have one. The simplest alarm system will alert you in case someone breaks into the car. However, sophisticated alarm systems have other useful features, such as:

• Remote control from a key fob
• Additional battery so that the alarm system doesn’t rely exclusively on the car’s battery
• Sensors on specific parts of the car, such as doors, windows, and windscreen



Hopefully, your alarm system will scare away potential thieves.

Locks

You should also consider locking different parts of your car to deter would-be thieves. Here are some locks to consider.

Steering Wheel Lock

You attach and lock the device on the steering wheel so that the wheel can’t turn. Anyone who wants to drive off with the car must either unlock or cut the device. Many thieves don’t want to deal with such extra hassles when stealing.

Brake Pedal Lock

The device attaches to the brake pedal so that it can’t depress. Few people want to steal a car they won’t be able to stop.

Wheel Lock

The wheel lock attaches to the wheels and stops them from spinning. Most are adjustable and can fit different wheel sizes. Again, few thieves want to deal with the extra step of cutting the wheel lock when stealing a car.

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