Prevention

There are various methods of prevention to reduce the likelihood of a vehicle getting stolen. These include physical barriers, which make the effort of stealing the vehicle more difficult. Some of these include:

• Devices used to lock a part of the vehicle necessary in its operation, such as the wheel steering wheel or brake pedal. A popular steering wheel lock is The Club.
• Immobilisers, allowing the vehicle to start only if a key containing the correct chip is present in the ignition.

Chances of theft can also be reduced with various deterrents, which give the impression to the thief that s/he is more likely to get caught if the vehicle is stolen. These include:

• Car alarm systems that are triggered if a breaking and entry into the vehicle occurs
• microdot identification tags which allow individual parts of a vehicle to be identified
• Killswitch circuits are designed to frustrate or slow down the efforts of a determined car thief. Killswitches are often located between crucial parts of the starting system, between the battery source and the coil, or the fuel pump. A car cannot start without first flipping these killswitches to closed position. Savvy car owners hide these killswitches in obscured areas, under the dashboard, beneath the seat, behind a chair, etc.
• Signage on windows warning of the presence of other deterrents, sometimes in absence of the actual deterrents.
• VIN etching