The SAS Survival Driver’s Handbook. John Wiseman

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СКАЧАТЬ personal correspondence or other items with your name and address on. These documents can be used to provide the thief with a cover story if stopped by the police, and they make it easier to sell your car (all the thief has to do is get the car re-registered in his name and sell it on to an unsuspecting buyer).

       RADIOS

      Car stereo systems are the target in a third of all thefts from cars. You may have a pretty average radio, but the sight of it sitting there in the dashboard can still be enough to tempt a thief to steal it — and the resulting damage to your car may cost a lot more than the radio did.

      There are a number of ways to protect your radio, the main ones being removal of the unit or front panel, or fitting a radio protected by security coding.

      A removable stereo system is designed to be slid out of the dashboard and either taken with you or hidden in the car. (Some cars have a flap that covers the radio, leaving a space so that to the casual observer it looks as though the radio has been removed.) Most radios are too heavy to carry around all day, so the majority of drivers put them under the front seat or in the boot. The majority of thieves know this, and if they see a gap in the dashboard where the radio should be they may break in to see if they can find where you’ve hidden it.

      To get round this, car audio manufacturers have come up with removable control panels. Instead of taking out the entire unit, you just unclip a panel the size of a pocket calculator and put it in your pocket or handbag. It’s possible to buy a replacement panel, but so expensive that it defeats the object of stealing the unit.

      Security coding ensures that the radio will not work if the power is cut (for example, by removing the radio from the car) unless the correct four-digit code is typed in. There are over 10,000 possible combinations, so the chances of anyone cracking the code are slim. Some systems refuse to accept more than half a dozen tries at the number, shutting down if the wrong code is typed in several times in a row.

      A recent innovation from car manufacturers is the unique stereo, which is designed to fit only one model of car. Since all other cars of the same model will be fitted with a radio already, there’s no point in stealing the radio.

      Whichever method you decide to opt for, apply a little common sense as well: don’t display manufacturers’ window stickers advertising what a great stereo system you’ve got, and don’t leave speakers sitting on your rear shelf. Use a UV (ultra-violet) pen to mark your stereo with your postcode or registration number to help identify the equipment in the event that it is stolen. Keep a note of the serial number in a safe place at home (not in the car!).

Parking

      For the thief, car parks offer a wide selection of cars to choose from. Unattended railway station car parks which are virtually deserted outside the rush hour are especially popular with criminals, but there are easy targets available in shopper’s car parks too, as car owners distracted by their kids or in a hurry to get to the shops forget to lock all the doors and secure the windows before leaving the car.

      Eliminate that last-minute rush. Always allow time for parking when planning a journey. In a large city the search for a parking space can take as long as the journey itself. It’s tempting to park illegally when you’ve been driving round and round in circles with not a space to be seen. DON’T DO IT! It can be very costly, and it could leave you vulnerable to attack — if your car gets clamped you could have to wait in the car for hours until the unclamping team turns up. You may even have to abandon the car and find alternative means of getting home, especially late at night. Look at the signs to see if parking is legal and a time limit imposed. Some areas are for permit-holders only and the signs are few and far between. Wait until you find a legal parking place.

      Don’t park the car on waste ground, in isolated rundown areas, and if it’s likely that you won’t be returning until it’s dark, bear in mind what your parking place will be like by then. Choose somewhere that’s well lit. In station and airport car parks, find a spot as near to the exit or a courtesy bus stop as possible. If you have to park in the street, choose a busy shopping street or somewhere your car is overlooked by offices by day and houses by night, not a dark, dingy alley. Retract the aerial fully to stop it being vandalized. When leaving the car parked in a narrow road, if you have spring-loaded wing mirrors tuck them in to avoid them being broken off by passing vehicles. Don’t park in a place where the car obstructs other vehicles. Park as close to your final destination as possible. Always try to park under a street lamp if the car is to be left unattended after dark. Be especially careful where you park a soft-top convertible.

      Organized gangs target car parks with poor security, as do sex offenders seeking to prey on unaccompanied females. Whenever possible use attended and secure car parks.

       AT HOME

      Your car is as vulnerable at home as anywhere else and the same precautions (locking all doors, fastening windows, activating alarms, removing all valuables, etc) need to be carried out. More than half of all thefts from cars occur when the car is parked at or near the owner’s home, so don’t be complacent, be vigilant. If you don’t have a garage, park as close to your home as possible, preferably in a well-lit spot where you can see it.

      If you have a garage, use it. Fit the best locks available to secure the garage door and keep it locked. If your car is stolen from an unlocked garage your insurance company may refuse to meet the claim in full. You’ll be protecting your home, too — garages often double as workshops and are full of valuable tools which can be used to gain entry to your house. Keep the car and garage keys in a secure place. Don’t leave them on display where anyone can see them; put them in an ornament or some other regular hiding place. If you don’t want to forget something which you must take with you the next day, leave the keys with this item. No way can you then go without it.

      When you drive out of the garage, park on the drive and secure the garage door behind you. An open garage is an open invitation to the criminal element, signalling that there’s no one at home. Deny thieves this information.

      Be suspicious if you find another car blocking your driveway. An old trick used by thieves is to park across a private entrance in the hope that the owner will leave his or her car unlocked while they go looking for the driver of the other vehicle.

      Always reverse into the garage. It makes leaving easier, and in the event of a house fire the car can be removed faster (but if the fire has already reached the garage, stay well clear — DON’T risk your life to save a heap of metal on four wheels).

      See Garage Hazards in Safety for guidelines on making your garage a safer place.

Vandalized!

      If you see someone tampering with your car, resist the impulse to challenge them. They may be armed, or there could be a lookout close by who will join in any attack on you. Call the police immediately and give them a description of the villain. Keep out of sight and don’t block the thieves’ escape route — it’s self-preservation, not cowardice. Damage to the car can be put right, but if you try playing the hero and get kicked to a pulp by the thieves the damage may be irreparable.

      The same rules apply if you return to the car to find that the alarm has been activated. Be cautious; observe from a vantage point for a few minutes to make sure that the coast is clear before moving in. If the car has been broken into or vandalized, check what damage has been done before you get in and attempt СКАЧАТЬ