Consumer Guides > Car securityCar security Content kindly supplied by consumer.org.nz.
Almost 30,000 vehicles are unlawfully taken each year. A steering lock won't prevent a determined thief, but it's a useful deterrent.
Keeping your car safe
Always lock the car, even if only going to be away from it for a minute. A practised thief can steal a car in mere seconds.
Never leave the keys in the ignition. Believe us: cars get stolen from petrol stations this way.
Park in well-lit, busy areas.
When at home, keep your car in the garage if you have one, and lock the car doors as well.
If your car is valuable, or has expensive extras, get a good alarm system with an immobiliser and a motion sensor.
Steering locks
The police say that in a row of parked cars, the one with a lock is less likely to be stolen than its neighbours.
But that doesn't mean all locks are as good as each other, and experienced car thieves often know which ones can be broken easily.
When Consumer Online tested thirteen models in 1999, we found one that could be broken with bare hands in two seconds flat!
Storing a lock
An effective steering lock is a fair chunk of heavy metal. Put it on the back seat and it could become a lethal missile in a minor prang. Store it safely on the floor behind the passenger seat, or in the boot.
This information is brought to you by Consumer Online.
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