Van users can be at risk from theft, the new business manager at Northgate Vehicle hire has provided a selection of top tips for van owners to help to protect them.
As well as vans themselves being valuable items, there are often valuable things stored inside them such as tools and equipment. Thieves know this and that is one reason why 47,000 commercial vans are stolen in the UK each year. In total this amounts to a cost of £152m. This is not only costly for someone who has the van stolen in terms of replacing lost items, it means that their insurance will go up and they will miss work when they are trying to source a new van and sort out the problems associated with the theft. This could have a huge effect on a business, especially a small one that relies on that van and tools. Therefore it is really important to protect your vehicle so that it is not susceptible to theft and therefore you can avoid these problems. Many drivers put a sticker on the van to inform thieves that there are no tools left in the van overnight, but there are more things that you can do to make sure that you have the best possible protection.
It may sound really obvious but make sure that your van is locked. It can be really easy to forget to do this, perhaps if you are only leaving it for a few moments or if you are tired and just forget. If a heft occurs on an unlocked vehicle it is unlikely that the insurance company will pay out and this could be devastating. If your van and tools are stolen, you may not be able to afford to replace them and this could mean that you will be out of a job. If your van belongs to the business that you work for then you could end up losing your job due to your carelessness. This means that you should be really careful. Make sure you never leave the van open when unloading, leave it running when you make a delivery or leave the keys in it at a petrol station. These are all bad habits that it can be easy to get in to and they can invite thieves to take items form the vehicle or take the vehicle itself.
Some vehicles have a deadlock or double lock system. What this does is disables the internal handles if you press the locking device twice. This can be really useful as it will stop thieves being able to break in through a window as they will not be able to open the door form the inside. It can also be wise to lock your tools inside a box when in the van. This means that if they do get in, they will have to get past another lock to get any tools. Screwing the box securely inside the van will prevent them from picking it up and running away with it. It is worth knowing that most standard locks can easily be overcome just with a screwdriver and so it is worth fitting extra locks. Deadlocks as mentioned above can be wise but another option is a slam lock which will lock the van as soon as the doors are shut. You will have to pay to have these fitted but they could be a very worthwhile investment if they prevent a theft which could be extremely costly. Continue reading “How to Protect Your Van From Thieves”