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How To Keep Your Car Safe In The Airport Parking Lot

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Little is more exasperating than arriving home after a long day of travel only to find your vehicle has been burglarized or stolen. Instead of going home and settling in, you now have to go home and start calling your insurance providers. There are a few easy things you can do to help prevent this scenario, though, and below you will learn about them.

Make Your Car a Less Desirable Target

You can start this task by simply making certain you lock all your doors. Thieves are usually in search of easy targets that allow them to get in, get out with the loot and get away without being noticed. Additionally, don't leave windows cracked, even a tiny bit. Some locks are easily jimmied by thieves with wire hangers, which need almost no clearance to slip in a cracked window.

The next step is to take any hide-a-key devices you have. No matter how well you feel you've hidden it, a thief is likely to know where to find it. Such devices can be convenient, but they can also make your car more easily stolen or burglarized.

You can also turn thieves away from your car by hiding any valuables you must leave. Your glove box, under your seat, or in the trunk are better places than the seat or floorboard for things like CD players, Mp3 players, cell phones and wallets. Anti-theft devices can also be a strong deterrent, so even if your car is not equipped with one, adding an anti-theft sticker to the driver's side window and windshield can help make thieves think twice.

Choose a Safe Parking Spot

In the vast lots at the airport, it can be easy to give up on finding a safe spot to park. Don't give in to the temptation to leave your car just anywhere. A safe airport parking spot as some of the following criteria:

  • It's in an attended parking lot. Even just occasional patrols through the area can help prevent theft.
  • It's in an indoor parking lot. Thieves have a harder time getting in or out of covered lots unnoticed because they have to drive through the access points. These points are often equipped with security cameras, and cameras are likely to be found around the lot as well.
  • It's well lit. Thieves prefer to work under the cover of darkness, all the better to do their dirty work undetected.
  • It backs up to a curb. If your car is parked in a spot with free access all the way around it will be much easier to tow. Instead, park next to a curb or wall, and put on your parking break.

Choosing a secure place to park may seem like a lot of effort for little gain, but it can really make a big difference in your car's safety.

Protect Your Car from Parking Lot Attendants

Most people would like to believe the parking lot attendants would never dream of stealing from your car, but the sad fact is that their profession puts them in the perfect position to steal things unnoticed. If you're leaving your keys with an attendant or valet, make sure you give them only the door key, not the trunk or glove box key. If the same key unlocks everything in your car, consider having the door or the trunk and glove box locks replaced. Also, make sure you park where security cameras can catch the crook in the act. If you're uncertain where the cameras are located, ask the attendant to point one out.

Taking a few precautions can protect you from losing something valuable while you're traveling. Take the time to protect your car, and you won't have to come home to a disaster.


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