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Car manufacturers add all sorts of bells and whistles to make the driving experience easier and more comfortable (and to get you to buy their brand). But they’ve yet to make a car that
crooks can’t nab from the street, a parking lot or your driveway. Car theft has increased by 25 percent over the past few years, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA). And aside from the stress of dealing with your car being stolen, there are the practical difficulties of being without the transportation you depend on to get to
medical appointments, the store and other important places you need to go. But there are ways to minimize your chances of being a victim of car theft. 1. DON’T EVER LEAVE THE CAR RUNNING
Even if you just plan to hop into the store for a minute, don’t leave your car on, says Cale Gould, public outreach coordinator for the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority, adding that
depending on where you live, it might even be against the law. “In Colorado, we call these ‘puffers’ because it tends to be more common in chilly winters where the white puff of smoke from
the exhaust pipe is like a flashing neon sign to thieves saying, ‘Steal me, steal me. I am running unattended,’” Gould says. 2. GO OLD-SCHOOL WITH YOUR ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM STATES WITH THE
GREATEST UPTICK IN STOLEN CARS FROM 2022 TO 2023 District of Columbia: 64 percent increase Maryland: 63 percent Connecticut: 33 percent Nevada: 18 percent Massachusetts: 16 percent Delaware:
15 percent New York: 15 percent Pennsylvania: 13 percent Nebraska 12 percent Louisiana, North Carolina, Tennessee: 10 percent Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau The days of installing
a remote-controlled car alarm are mostly gone since many modern vehicles come with one. But when they do sound off, especially in urban areas, it can be easy for those nearby to brush off
the noise as a false alarm. Low tech might be the way to go, says Kay Wakeman, director of insurance outreach for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data
Institute (HLDI). She’s a fan of The Club, a steering wheel lock that was popular in the 80s and 90s. Gould, who is also a fan of The Club, says the iconic red device is definitely making a
comeback. If you’re a thief, “why would you bother to overcome a manual locking system when there is a car that’s unlocked next door?” The Club is also good for older cars without a lot
of anti-theft tech, says Wakeman, adding that The Club is pretty much the “only physical way to prevent your car from being stolen” if you don’t have an anti-theft system. Another old-school
tip: Fake them out, says Gould. “You could buy stickers on Amazon that say this vehicle has GPS tracking, and that sticker is a huge theft deterrent,” he says.