The last thing I ever want to worry about is an auto thief stealing my car. How do I keep that from happening? Simple, make sure I don't become an easy target by doing something I shouldn't be doing.

I've never known anyone yet who has had their car stolen but you would not believe how many car thefts have taken place in West Michigan alone.

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For example, courtesy of mlive.com:

In Grand Rapids, the number of stolen vehicles went from 298 in 2018 to nearly 800 last year. In Kalamazoo, there were 350 auto thefts in 2019 and 600 last year.

The one thing you never want to do is leave your car running and then walk away from it for a few minutes. At that point, you're asking for trouble.

Another big problem is people leaving their car keys inside an unlocked vehicle. That right there has steal me written all over the place.

Always take your keys out of the ignition and lock your doors at all times. I never leave my car unlocked for any reason whatsoever.

Even if my car is parked at home in the driveway, it always stayed locked. If you don't want your car to be stolen, then you need to follow a few basic steps.

Step 1. Never leave your keys or key fob inside your vehicle.

Step 2. Never get out of your car and leave it running in any driveway, parking lot, gas station, or convenience store.

Step 3. Make sure your car stays locked at all times.

Step 4. Never leave expensive items in your vehicle for long periods of time.

If you focus on all four steps above, then you should be fine and have no worries about an auto thief driving down the road with your vehicle. Good Luck!

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