(ThyBlackMan.com) We all have that awful moment where you can’t see your car in a parking lot, and just for a second, you think it might have been stolen. Of course, ninety-nine percent of the time you’re just looking in the wrong place, and you can drive home feeling relieved (and a little bit embarrassed.) But it does throw into stark focus just how awful it would be if something did happen to your car. That just makes it all the more bizarre that so many people simply don’t take the proper precautions when it comes to protecting their vehicle from criminals. Car thieves specifically look out for people who leave their cars vulnerable, and if you’re not taking the correct precautions you could end up being a criminal’s dream come true! To make sure that this doesn’t happen, here are some simple things that you can do to make your car safer and more secure.
Cover up any possessions
Ideally, you shouldn’t have anything valuable in your car at all, but 
that’s not always possible if you’re out of the house or you regularly use your vehicle for work. Make sure that you keep all valuables hidden away and out of sight. Things like your wallet and your phone should be tucked away in the glove box and, if you have an open bed truck with items on the bed, then an Extang tonneau cover is pretty much essential. Even if your car is securely locked, leaving possessions where thieves can see them is tantamount to putting a giant neon sign on your vehicle advertising it to everyone around.
Install and anti-theft system
There’s a chance that your car already has some form of anti-theft system in place but if not then it’s incredibly important that you install one straight away. Thieves are far less reluctant to steal a car that will be recovered very quickly. Not only should there be an anti-theft device in your vehicle but you should make it very clear that it has one. It might seem obvious but letting thieves know that your vehicle has an anti-theft device is a very effective way of putting them off.
Keep it clean
This might sound a little bizarre, backward even. After all, surely thieves are more likely to steal a nicer car than an old rustbucket? Well, actually the opposite has been shown to be true a lot of the time. A beat up old car is much less likely to have security measures in place that will make stealing the car more difficult. They might not be worth as much, but a car that doesn’t look like it’s been cared for is likely to be much easier to steal and won’t cause as much trouble for the thief further down the road. By making it very clear that your car is something that you care about then thieves are going to be much more likely to assume that you have security measures in place to protect it.
Staff Writer; Larry Moore