Christmas Shopping – ‘Tis The Season to be
Cautious!!
The holiday season is approaching rapidly, and you are probably
planning the “final shop” that will wrap up the last of the gifts.
One thing to be very careful about is leaving purchases from one store
in your vehicle while you finish up at another.
As depressing as it may be, this is a very popular time of year for
thieves … and they don’t care about “The Spirit of Christmas”.
The inconvenience, emotional upset and financial hardship that result from
having your vehicle broken into and burgled can be prevented, or the risk
minimized, by taking the following steps.
The best solution is to never leave the vehicle unattended with
valuables inside. If you must do so,
ensure your doors are locked, the vehicle is parked in a heavy traffic area,
the items inside are covered, and that you activate your vehicle alarm if you
have one.
This will not guarantee your items are safe, but (as bad as this
sounds) it may make the vehicle next to yours a more appealing target.
One thing you should be aware of, from an insurance perspective, is
that if you have your vehicle broken into and items stolen, you may be looking
at two separate claims and two deductibles.
The damage to the vehicle will be covered under the vehicle policy, as
long as you carry comprehensive or specified perils. The items that are stolen are considered part
of your household contents, and the deductible for your home insurance would
apply. Some companies will charge only
one deductible if you have both your home and auto with them – but don’t
assume.
Another suggestion is that you keep your vehicle registration and pink
slip in your wallet. If there is more
than one driver of the vehicle, find a hidey hole in the vehicle that only you
know about. The reason is that
increasingly, when vehicles are burgled or stolen, the garage door opener is
taken, along with the pink card or registration with the home address. If you don’t notice, all the thief has to do
is wait for you to go to work the next day.
Although this is perceived as a “big city” problem, don’t be complacent!
Plus, if the vehicle is stopped by police and the thief can not produce
valid documentation, the vehicle can be impounded and returned to you instead
of continuing on it’s joyride.
Christmas is a wonderful time of year.
Take a few moments to make sure your holiday isn’t ruined by an unwanted
claim (or claims).
