The Rise In Car Thefts

This blog post comes after an unfortunate event occurred during the early hours of one morning where a couple of misfits decided to take one of our owners BMW M4's straight off their drive. The car was locked and could not be seen from the main road. It seems as though the car had been targeted or "ordered" as such so this has lead to us thinking how can we protect our cars from the dangers of theft in today’s modern world:

1. Steering wheel lock

I know what you're thinking, that is old school! We remember the steering lock on your Grandpa’s car 30 years ago as one of the only deterrents back then to stop your car being stolen. Well oddly, things have come almost full circle and due to the advancement in technology one thing the modern day car thief can’t do is hack a steering lock. A simple £20 steering lock does 2 things. Firstly it deters any potential thief from even attempting to take the car. Secondly if they are brave enough to still go for it they have to somehow grind through the steering lock giving plenty of time for the attempted theft to be noticed and the police to be called to stop them in their tracks before the car is taken. Here’s an example of a steering lock within that £20 budget: 

Streetwize Steering Wheel Lock (toolstation.com)

2. RFID Signal Blocking Key Box

Many of the cars stolen are taken due to the keyless entry feature and the RFID frequency that connects the keys to the car. With the advancements in technology those responsible for car thefts are able to hack the RFID signal and basically trick the car into thinking their software is the key trying to communicate with the car. In a matter of minutes the car is hacked, the thief is in and the car is being driven away.

Now you can’t odds someone hacking your signal when you’re at the shops as an example but you can help prevent this from happening when the car is parked at your house.  You can purchase an RFID blocking key box. In essence, whenever you aren’t using your car the keys go into the box. The box blocks any signal meaning any attempt to hack the signal is scuppered instantly.

See the below link for an example of one of these boxes:

Connected Essentials RFID Signal Blocking Key Box | Halfords UK

3. CCTV

Our final suggestion is the use of CCTV. There are many options out there and more recently there are some very reasonably priced options. The CCTV will help deter any potential theirs from your home but also may help in catching out someone attempting to steal your vehicle.

See the below link for an example of a well priced system:

https://en-uk.ring.com/pages/doorbells

In writing this we hope that we are at least giving some ideas to those who may not have thought about this type of risk with their vehicle or those who are wondering if anything can be done to reduce the risk.

*Please note information given above is our opinion only and based on our own experience of being a victim of car theft. The above information is not a guide and we recommend any advice needed on how best to protect your vehicle should be asked of your insurance or your local police force.