Christmas is meant to be a happy time but for some of us it can be a sad time if we become a victim of crimes typical to the season. Winter and especially near the Christmas period can become pretty traumatic if presents are stolen, cars broken in to and other situations that can put a real damper on the celebrations.

Of course many crimes can be avoided such as not leaving present in full view of windows and making sure you don’t leave the car running to thaw out in the morning but there are a few other details that you should be made aware of, because the burglar will certainly be using them this Christmas.

The following tips are not just ways to make sure that you don’t have a ruined Christmas but if you become the victim of car crime then you could be made to suffer for the rest of the year too as you may have to make a claim on your insurance and so your premium may go up, you’ll certainly have to cough up some presents money on the excess!

Making sure you have an adequate alarm and immobilizer is a standard security feature that will help and if this is visible even in the form of a lashing red light it gives the thieves the red light if they were thinking of breaking in to your car. Keeping all shopping out of sight is important too, put them in the boot of your car and if possible bury them under some other object such as coats or car items like first aid kits and jump leads. A thief is looking to get in, get the goods and get out; they don’t want to be messing around as this may mean they get caught.

Many cars now have satellite navigation equipment and it is vitally important that you rub away the tell tale suction cup mark on your windscreen. Even if the GPS device came out of the car with you when you got out that mark is the international sign that this car is worth breaking into, even just to check if the glove box.

If someone breaks into your car then obviously you’ll end up either having to pay out for the repairs yourself or have to make a claim against your car insurance. Insurance definitely costs more these days and so many people treasure their no claims bonus as this is often the only thing keeping people’s car insurance premiums down each year.

If you can keep your car as uninteresting to thieves as possible then there’s a good chance you will keep yourself from having to make a car insurance claim over Christmas and you’ll be one step closer to being eligible for cheap car insurance. The only other consideration to make is checking that you drive carefully in the cold and being extra cautious when the roads are icy as not all roads get gritted and can become treacherous.


About the author

Andy Adams is an experienced UK based motoring writer