A former Police Interceptor has urged drivers to avoid doing one thing in a bid to lower the risk of their car being stolen, particularly if it was a recent purchase.
With March bringing the launch of a new number plate, the month is always a popular time for motorists to upgrade their set of wheels.
However, Ben Pearson, Police Advisor for Nextbase and former Police Interceptor, urged Brits to think twice before posting a photo of their new vehicle on social media.
He advised: “Social media can be a useful tool to let people know your car has been stolen, but before that point, keep your car off your profile. Far too many people post pictures of their car and registration on Facebook or Instagram with their profiles unlocked.
“Vehicles can be easily traced this way and it’s not hard to find the vehicle’s location when people tag locations on pictures. Don’t make it easy for thieves to make your car a target.”
Whilst almost all drivers love the feeling they get when taking to the roads in a new model, Nextbase recommended that they take care when bragging about it.
By putting the vehicle’s number plate online, drivers are effectively giving criminals their new vehicle’s information, potentially resulting in their vehicle being stolen or the plates being cloned to conceal the identity of a missing model.
As a result, drivers looking to post photos of their car to social media have been advised to leave the number plates out, taking images from the side or editing out the registration.
Similarly, Ben recommended that drivers do not miss traditional methods used to keep their car safe, suggesting that they are affordable but often some of the best available.
He added: “One of the best ways to make your car harder to steal – and crucially, look harder to steal – is a wheel lock. These can be bought for around £50 and add an extra layer of protection should a thief get into your car through modern keyless theft, as well as giving you more time to hear an alarm or notice their presence.
“A professional criminal can get through a wheel lock with an angle grinder, but that extra time and noise may put them off.”
Whilst spending £50 for a steering wheel lock may seem trivial in comparison to the £40,000 that the average new car costs in the UK, the rising number of stolen vehicles in the UK is no small matter.
According to data from Nextbase, who sourced data from the Office for National Statistics, some 130,270 cars were stolen in England and Wales alone during 2023.
Nevertheless, the dashcam manufacturer noted that the rise in cases comes at a time in which charge rates for vehicle thefts has declined from 2.8 percent of cases to just 1.43 percent in the 12 months leading to June 2023.
