Imagine this: you walk out of the mall, grocery store, or your home and your car is gone. As scary as this sounds, it is something that happens everyday. There are thieves out there who target vehicles.

While it probably isn’t your fault if your car is stolen, there are some things you can do to protect yourself against this. By minimizing the number of things that draw the attention of criminals, you can decrease the chance of your vehicle being targeted.

Here is a list of five things that could draw the attention of a car thief:

1. Leaving Valuables in Plain View

There is no denying that some car thieves want to steal your entire car. However, they will be more than happy to steal any valuable that you are keeping in clear view. This could be anything from a laptop computer to golf clubs. If you must leave valuables in your vehicle, hide them under the seat (if small enough) or store them in your trunk.

2. Keeping Your Keys in the Ignition

As crazy as this sounds, this is a mistake that some people make. If they are only running into the store for a few minutes, for example, they may leave the keys in the ignition – some even leave their car running. How crazy is that? This is like an open invitation to a criminal. All they have to do is get in, put the car in drive, and take off.

3. Leaving Your Window Down

To an experienced car thief, an open window is just as good as an open door. This is by far one of the best ways to “tempt” a criminal. All they have to do is stick their hand or another object through the window and pop the lock. From there, they can root through your car for valuables and/or drive away if they have the ability to do so.

4. Parking in Low Light, Out of the Way Areas

Are you in the habit of parking far away from everybody else? Maybe you do this because you don’t want your car to be dinged. Maybe you do this because it allows you to save money on parking. Regardless of your reason, when nobody is around a thief will feel much more comfortable targeting your vehicle. Not only does this increase the risk of a theft, but it is also dangerous from a personal safety point of view.

5. Drawing Attention With Flashy Rims and a Loud Stereo

Car thieves know what they are doing. If they see a car that is tricked out with a lot of expensive equipment, such as a stereo system, their eyes are going to get big. When you trick out your car you are drawing a lot of attention to yourself – and not always in a good way.

These are just five of the many things that can draw the attention of a car thief. If you want to lessen your chance of having your car stolen, avoid the situations above. You and your insurance premium will be glad that you did.