Keep Your Ride Safe at College

By Sammy K

Having a vehicle while at school is a convenient way to get around off campus. Vehicle maintenance and parking can become costly, so protecting your investments is a wise idea. Follow these tips in order to keep your vehicle safe and secure.

• Lock the doors when you leave the vehicle. Even if you’re only going to be away for a few minutes, lock the doors. A few moments is all a thief needs to swipe your belongings. Don’t let this happen!
• Leave your belongings in the trunk or at home if you’re not going to be carrying them with you. Do not leave items in plain view. A nice laptop in the backseat may mean a broken window and its disappearance. Keep your valuables safe.
• Keep windows up when not in attendance. Roll them up completely! Don’t leave any gap for someone to stick their hand through.
• Take your keys with you. Never leave your keys in the ignition unattended. Keep your keys on you at all times, including spares. Do not leave any spare keys on or in the vehicle.
• Park near light! Try to park as close to a light source as you can. Keeping your vehicle within visibility is important not only for protecting your property, but also yourself.
• Keep important documents out of your vehicle. Anything with your identity, social security number, and contact info should be kept at home. Do not leave the title to your vehicle inside, and try to remove your registration if you’re not going to be in the vehicle. (Remember to put it back before you drive again, however, because you will need it in the event you’re stopped.)
• Never leave the ignition running if you are not in the vehicle. If the engine is running and the doors are unlocked, you’re giving open access to your ride. Someone could get in and drive off, making off with your car and belongings.
• Keep the local police station or campus public safety office’s number programmed into your phone in the event of an emergency. If your vehicle gets broken in to, stolen, or items taken from it, these numbers will be handy.
• If you’re living in a house or a place with a garage, park in the garage. Keeping your vehicle out of sight will lessen the chance of something happening to it. Use public transportation to get to and from class, or if close enough, walk.
• Keep your parking sticker visible. This isn’t so much a safety related issue, but getting ticketed or possibly towed can be really costly and imagine how horrifying it would be to go to your vehicle after class to find it’s not there. Parking on campus is already very expensive, so let’s not add to it or lose your wheels!

Keep yourself and your vehicle safe; use common sense and follow these tips to make sure you can!

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