How To Avoid Auto Vandalism & What To Do If It Happens To You
No one wants to ever have their vehicle become subject to vandalism. Here are five tips to help you avoid becoming a victim of vandalism, and what to do if it happens to you.
5 Tips On How To Avoid Becoming A Victim Of Auto Vandalism
Vandalism is one of the leading reasons vehicles sustain auto body damage. Although you cannot stop someone from vandalizing your vehicle, you can take the following steps to reduce the chance of your vehicle being vandalized:
- Park in well-lit areas. Avoid parking in areas with broken street lights.
- Park your vehicle as close as possible to the place where you will be.
- Park your vehicle somewhere where it is easily visible to other people.
- Avoid leaving valuables in your vehicle. For example, if you have a GPS system, put it away when you get out of your vehicle.
- Keep your vehicle free of any visible items, even if they have little to no monetary value.
If you take care to park in well-lit parking lots and don't leave valuables or other items in your vehicle, you greatly reduce the chance of your vehicle being vandalized and sustaining auto damage.
What To Do If Your Vehicle Is Vandalized
Sometimes, even when you take all the precautions listed above, you can still become a victim of vandalism. If you notice your vehicle has been vandalized, here is what you can do:
- Call The Police: Call the police while you are at the scene of the vandalism and let them know that your vehicle has been vandalized. If they say that they will send out an officer, wait in a safe place for the officer to arrive. If they don't have the resources to send out an officer, insist on filing a police report.
- Take Pictures: If you are safely able to, take pictures at the scene of the vandalism that your vehicle sustained. Use your camera phone or the disposable camera you keep inside of your vehicle for such emergencies. These pictures can back up your police report and may be useful to your insurance company.
- Call Your Insurance Company: As soon as you can, put in a call to your insurance company and inform them about the situation. Make sure you have the police report number on hand; they may want that information. If you have full coverage on your vehicle, the damage should be covered. Set-up a time for an insurance adjustor to come look at your vehicle.
- Start Calling Auto Body Shops: Start calling auto body shops to get quotes on how much the work will cost and how long it will take to repair your vehicle. You can take this step before the insurance adjustor looks at your vehicle. Once you have the authorization from your insurance adjustor, go ahead and make an appointment to get your vehicle fixed.
If you follow the five tips listed above, you will greatly reduce the chance of your vehicle being vandalized. If your vehicle is vandalized, follow the four steps provided to get the problem fixed quickly. Even though it is a hassle to deal with vandalism, a good auto body shop should be able to fix all of the damage to your vehicle. For more information, contact a company like Ohs' Body Shop's Inc.
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