You come out to your car one night in McHenry and find that someone has broken a window, slashed a tire, or otherwise vandalized your car. At the very least, it’s annoying. Probably, it’s infuriating. If the vandalism has rendered your vehicle inoperable, it can be more than that.

Is there anything you can do to ensure that no one vandalizes your car? Probably not. But there are some measures you can take to reduce the chances that someone in McHenry will target your car for vandalism.

• Lock your car. Some of these less trustworthy individuals will go around checking car doors until they find the ones that are not locked. An unlocked door is an invitation to step inside your car and take whatever they want: damage as they choose. Don’t forget to lock the doors of your car when unattended.
• Choose locations to park carefully. Parking your car in the garage is probably the safest place you can park the car. But you can’t always park in the garage. If you go to the store, try to choose a well-lighted area closer to the doors of the store. The same holds true when visiting friends or making a business call. Look around and consider the places vandals will feel safer. Those are the spots less safe for your car. A spot where security cameras are pointed toward your car is a good choice, too.
• Don’t leave valuables in plain sight. If someone less trustworthy comes by your car and sees something of value sitting on the seat, it’s like candy tempting a child. They might just decide to help themselves and, if they have to bust a window to get at it, so be it.
• Don’t leave the windows open. This, of course, fits with not locking your car. If it’s easy for someone who doesn’t belong to get in, they might just.
• Consider enhancing the security measures on your car. A better alarm system, particularly if it comes with a decal that informs the nefarious in our society, can dissuade the latter from choosing your car.
• Make sure your insurance is in force. You can’t guarantee someone in McHenry won’t vandalize your car. But you can be prepared for the repercussions if you make sure you have insurance that will cover the damage.