Keep Your Car Safe This Halloween

Car Security is more than making sure you're buckled in. To prevent Halloween pranks and tricks from damaging your ride, it is necessary to keep vandalism in mind this Halloween season. Halloween tricks cost automobile owners hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs every year. The typical prank of egging an auto has gotten much worse in recent years. Today, it is not unheard of for vehicle owners to report smashed windows, looted automobiles, pierced tires, scratched paint, and even cars set on fire. With the price of metal skyrocketing, older cars are not without their share of predators, but luckily, there are a few things a car owner can do to discourage vandals from damaging their car around Halloween time. Here are a few tips to keep your car safe on Halloween night:

1. Park your car in a Locked Garage: Whether it's your own garage or a friend's nearby, a locked garage is a good deterrent for vandals. Most eggings occur by way of driveby. Just remember that if Halloween falls on a Friday like it does in 2008, the tricking may take place on the following Saturday as well. No garage? You can prevent some of the damage to your car by using a car cover.

2. Lighten Up: Trim bushes and adjust security lights for a uniform coverage of property. A well-lit property often discourages tricking simply because the tricksters don't want to get caught and will choose an easier target. For an added security feature, make video cameras pointing toward the parking area visible from the street.

3. Pay to Park: Security gate guarded parking areas at nearby airports and business centers may seem like a frivolity, but the repair of egg damage or smashed windows can make car parks seem a bargain. Consider monitored parking areas that are out in the open and park toward the center of the lot. Be sure no valuables are left inside to tempt would-be vandals.

4. Pull an All-Nighter: Halloween tradition in our house is for my wife and I to stay up all night on Halloween watching holiday movies and heading in and out of the house every few minutes. If the tricksters don't know when you're headed to bed, they are less likely to wait you out and more likely to find someone else to egg. If you can't stay up, trick the tricksters by setting your lights on one of those vacation timers.

5. Report Suspicious Activities: If you see groups of teenagers or preteens wandering around past trick-or-treating hours or cars driving slowly, do not hesitate to alert your local police station. Kids out tricking could get hit by a car, injure themselves, or get wild peer-driven ideas that could lead to serious trouble. You could be doing the pranksters a favor.

Finally, keep in mind that some of the worst pranksters are those you have disgruntled in the past. Don't make enemies of the local teens and your neighbors. And remember, no matter what time of the year it is, never leave valuables in your car, especially not in plain sight. More smashed windows happen on impulse than you might think, and most of the time, the cost of repairing the window is far greater than the loot the vandal received in the bash. Be sure your car insurance is up to date, and most of all have a safe and happy Halloween.