Steps To Take If Your Car Gets Stolen

Everybody gets excited about their new cars. Our cars are our pride. Whether we take them out on the road for a cozy drive, get our friends and family to go on a trip in our cars, or take them to work every day, our cars are our pride. Unfortunately, sometimes that feeling of happiness is taken from us. Yes, we are talking about the terrible ordeal of car theft. We have heard about it happening everywhere around us, and we tend to ignore it. It is true that if you are careful about your things, such a terrible situation may never befall you. But as they say, hope for the best but always be prepared for the worst.

It is almost impossible to recover from the loss. Having a car insurance policy will surely help with the monetary loss. There is no guarantee that you can always return to us, but we have to stay positive and pray for its return. The below mentioned steps can help you stay calm and focused and help speed up the investigation procedure. These steps will ensure that even though you might not get all the money your car was worth, you can still get enough to find a new one. Moreover, you will be free of any allegation whatsoever if any crime were to be committed by the stolen vehicle.

Here are a few steps that you must immediately follow if your car has been stolen:

Step 1: Call the police immediately

Once you have calmed down and let the feeling of overwhelm pass away, you have to call the cops. What they would ask is:

• The make, model, color, and year of the car were purchased.

• Are there any peculiar features on the car that are identifiable?

• VIN (Verification Identification Number).

• any information regarding your GPS or any other tracking system.

• When and where did you last see your car?

Step 2: Contact your car insurance company

You have to submit an insurance claim no sooner than you realise your car has been stolen or immediately after you file a police report. What they will ask you is:

• A copy of your insurance documents.

• your insurance claim forms.

• An original copy of the police report you filed.

• a copy of your driver's license.

• A list with a description of the valuable items left in your car. For example, your phone, laptop, any other electronic gadget, clothes, accessories, workout equipment, textbooks, and/or tools of any kind.

• You may also need to submit all the original car keys that you may have on you.

• In the event that your car cannot be tracked, you will receive a "no-track" report from the police. This also needs to be submitted to claim your insurance.

They may ask you for more details, and we implore you to find them and get to them as soon as possible.

Step 3: Be mentally prepared that your car may not return to you

Only 50% of the vehicles that are stolen are returned to their owners. Most of the time, the car gets stolen for its parts. A stolen car gets dismantled as soon as it reaches the shop and sold for different parts, thus rendering you unable to find it ever.

In any case, if you do get your car back, some of the major parts are probably missing or the car is damaged.

Step 4: Check your car if it returned to you

If you are lucky, you might get your car back and it is still safe to drive. In the case of this, you should first make sure to thoroughly check your car before you start to use it again.

Use rubber gloves when you inspect it. Take a flashlight to check every inch of the car to find any material or otherwise that does not belong to you. If you happen to find something, inform the police right away. You do not want to get involved with anything that might be illegal and cause you to get pulled over or get hurt.

Step 5: Make sure to never let this happen again.

Even if you end up buying an entirely new vehicle or finding the one that was stolen, you need to protect your car as much as possible. 

• For starters, avoid parking it anywhere near the spot where it got stolen. 

• Make sure all the windows are closed and the doors are locked once you leave the vehicle. 

• Always keep your keys in a safe place. 

• You can add new anti-theft gadgets like a GPS tracking system and an alarm system.

As a bonus on your auto insurance premium, you may even get an anti-theft discount.