Cars Are Stolen During Holiday Season

At this time of the year, there will be an increase in car burglary. Thieves target cars in mall and strip mall parking lots. This is the common place where thieves steal the car. Criminals will look for cars containing specifically purchased merchandise. When people leave car doors unlocked it may take only seconds for their things to disappear. Last year, nearly 262,000 acts of burglary were reported in Texas. If there is nothing in the car, thieves do not target that vehicle. People, who do their shopping on holidays, should place their merchandise in the trunk of the vehicle. Shoppers should bring a blanket to cover merchandise if their vehicle does not have a trunk. Thieves are mostly interested in electronic goods, because they can be sold easily. Clothing items fetch less interest. Even small electronic items like CD’s and DVDs have a resale market.

The most important thing is do not leave car keys in the car. Doors should always be locked, windows should not be cracked and the engine should be turned off. Even professional identification items should never be left in the car. Thief may not be satisfied with just taking a car. Hondas are stolen most often when compared to other car makes because of interchangeable parts that are easy to resell. Next up are domestic trucks, most often four doors. Driver’s recommend owners to buy a car security system with a fuel stop. The system will not allow a hot-wired car to travel more than about 10 feet before fuel is cut off from the engine.