Tips To Keep People (and Animals) From Breaking Your Car Windows
Broken windows are an unfortunate fact of life.
For some people, it’s becoming more common as crime rates rise in their neighborhood. In this post, we’ll go over some tips to help you avoid this bummer and some good ideas to make life easier for you.
BEFORE WE BEGIN: Get GOOD (not cheap) auto insurance
We know – this sounds super obvious (and it doesn’t keep people from breaking windows) – but be sure to read this section!!!
Ask if you can get coverage for broken windows. If you just shop for the cheapest policy sometimes what happens is it ends up costing you more because you have to pay more out of pocket when accidents or break-ins do occur. For example, cheap insurance policies might not cover window replacement.
Car insurance is also incredibly important in case you injure other people in an accident. If you hit a van full of people and all of them need to go to the hospital, you may be liable for ALL of their medical expenses. So not only should you have bodily injury liability, you should make sure you get a high coverage amount. 7 injured people who need hospital attention can cost millions of dollars.
Also, you want good coverage to cover YOUR MEDICAL EXPENSES if you get hurt in a car accident. We really, really, really want to stress how important it is to UNDERSTAND your policy and know WHAT ELSE you can get to cover all events and possibilities.
1. Don’t leave bags, boxes, envelopes, packages or change in your car
Street lurkers look through car windows for anything they can steal. Really hard up people will even break into your car for change. Yes. Change.
And yes, people will steal envelopes. Medical records and other personal information fetches money on the black market. Keep your car empty!
2. Don’t park near kids that routinely play in the street
Not much of a thing anymore (sadly enough), but in some neighborhoods kids still hit and throw baseballs or simply just throw “things” in the street. And windows will break.
3. Don’t park near golf courses
This is probably not a problem for 99% of you, but if you do live near or frequent an area next to a golf course (or a baseball diamond), your car may be the recipient of a flying golf ball or baseball.
4. Watch out for construction sites
Maybe you work in construction or the company you work for is doing construction at your place of work. Or perhaps you just happen to park near or in a construction site. Construction sites are full of hazards. Long sections of rebar are being moved around, big trucks, heck – maybe even a wrecking ball will be swinging around. We see plenty of damage that comes from construction sites.
5. Don’t drive behind gravel hauling trucks
These trucks are notorious for breaking car windshields. If you follow them on the freeway, small rocks and gravel can be ejected from their truck beds and crack your windshield. It’s one of the more common things we hear about from our customers. Stay a good distance away from them.
Interestingly enough, bigger cracks can occur when you pass a gravel hauling truck on a two-lane road. That’s because the speed that the rock or pebble hits your windshield is usually twice the speed compared to the case where you’re following the truck. And there’s nothing you can do in the situation. Just be thankful you have a windshield protecting your face!
6. Check yourself! Are you a crazy driver?
One of the easiest ways to break a car window, windows or windshield is to get into a wreck. Do yourself a favor and drive the speed limit. If you actually do the math, speeding rarely gets you anywhere faster. Maybe you save five minutes here and there, but that’s not worth risking your life over.
Also, one of the best reasons to drive the speed limit and not ACCELERATE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE ALL THE TIME is you’ll save a lot of gasoline over the years. That’ll literally translate into thousands of dollars in savings. Not just savings in fuel, but also on tires, brake pads and general wear and tear.
7. Da bears
We’re always telling our customers that own RVs and motorhomes to watch out for bears. They love to take their RVs camping in the mountains. In California, we have plenty of black bears that have great noses for tasty treats. If you don’t throw away food, food wrappers, drinks, even scented lotions – or at least get them out of your vehicles, bears can tear through your car like an aluminum can. They are very strong. They’ll break windows, bend door frames, and can total your car.
8. Don’t make people mad
Funny enough, one thing we learn from our customers is sometimes the person they are in a relationship with IS the cause of their broken window. Love can be crazy and bring out erratic emotions in people. This can lead to throwing wine bottles, hammering hoods and physically punching glass. Ouch!
It also can be from road rage incidents. Yeah, we highly recommend keeping your cool when you’re on the road. It can save your life and a lot of money.
Do you live in Southern California and have a broken car window?
Then give us a call! You can call (714) 323-2672 to schedule an appointment.
