The definition of garage is 'a building or indoor area for parking or storing motor vehicles'. So why do home owners fill their garages full of junk and park their expensive vehicles outside? If you are fortunate enough to have an attached or detached garage as part of your home, why not use it as intended?
It is meant to keep your vehicle protected from the elements like wind, rain, snow and car thieves. To me it only makes sense to secure your second largest investment in it's designated area. With auto theft front and centre, we have to do what we can to prevent becoming a victim of this senseless crime.
By parking your vehicle outside you are creating an opportunity for a thief. An opportunity that most likely would not happen if the goods were out of sight. Thieves take advantage of our innocent ways. When we drive by a home with a vehicle parked outside, we don't think twice about it.
A thief on the other hand feels a sense of entitlement to what you own and once they lock in their radar you are usually less one vehicle. If you have a garage that is filled with junk and is on display every time you open or close your overhead garage door, you are sending out a message to the bad guys. A message that you cannot fit your vehicle or vehicles in your garage.
What better advertisement of home occupancy. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize when your vehicle is not parked in your driveway, you're not home! Compare this to your neighbor who always parks his or her vehicle in a neatly organized garage. A thief would not be aware of whether your neighbor was home, eliminating chances of either a vehicle theft or home burglary.
This brings me to my next concern. Overhead garage doors with windows or see thru panels located at the top. If you own this type of garage door make sure you apply a frosted window film on the inside of the window.
Frosted window films are reasonably priced do-it-yourself products available at most local hardware stores. These products allow the natural light in while preventing thieves from checking out your garage's contents. Contents like power tools, sporting equipment, motor cycles and most importantly, your vehicle!
If your overhead garage door is looking warn and tattered, with cracks and broken panels, now would be the time to call in a garage door technician to assess the situation. Nothing is more inviting to a thief than an easy entrance into your home.
Don't advertise the fact your garage door is the weak link to your home security. Just because your garage is not included in your main living quarters don't assume it's not part of your home. It might be cheaper to replace or repair a few panels now than deal with a break-in down the road.
Frank Fourchalk is a recognized security expert with over 17 years experience. He has a security column running in over 15 newspapers from Vancouver BC to Pretoria, South Africa. His columns continue to grow and he has recently signed on with the New York Post.
