What to Do if Your Car Is Stolen

Nobody wants this experience: You’ve left your car in a parking garage during a day of shopping or in the extended parking lot at the airport. You head to where you think you parked, keys in hand, ready to drive home, only to find a vacant spot where your car should be. Your car — and everything inside — has been stolen!

It’s hard to know what to do at that moment. Do you know how to check if a car is stolen, or how to report a stolen car? Is there such a thing as car theft insurance? Nobody really teaches you what to do when your car is stolen and car theft prevention isn’t on many drivers’ tests. And how do you tell if you have insurance coverage for a stolen car? 

First, take a deep breath, then read on. Here is what to do if your car is stolen, plus how to avoid being in that position in the first place.

And if you want to talk to an auto insurance professional anytime, reach out to Farm Bureau.

What to Do if Your Car Is Stolen

Step 1: Verify Your Car Was Stolen

First, make sure your car actually is gone. When you park and leave your car for any length of time, it’s easy to lose track of your parking space. Before you panic, be sure you are looking for your car in the correct lot. When parking, consider taking a photo of the lot sign nearest your car so you will have a point of reference when you are ready to depart. Or drop a pin in the map on your phone so you can find it again.

Step 2: Call the Police

It’s possible that your car wasn’t stolen, but ticketed and towed. There are several reasons a car may be towed away, including if it was blocking traffic, in a snow-removal zone or appeared to be abandoned. When you call the police dispatch, they will be able to tell you if your car was towed and where to find it. That’s an annoying situation, but better than a stolen car.

Step 3: File a Report

If you determine that your car was, in fact, stolen, contact the police immediately to file a report. When making the report, it’s helpful to be able to share the make, model, year and color of the vehicle, the license plate number, and your license or ID number. The local police will file a report and mobilize officers to look for your vehicle. Calling police promptly will hopefully help in locating the car before it can get too far away from the area.

Step 4: Call Your Auto Insurance Company

After you have filed a police report, contact your insurance company to file a claim. (Farm Bureau customers can start this process with one phone call, either to their agent or directly with the 24-hour Claims Center.) To file an insurance claim, you will need to have your police report handy, so make sure you’ve called them first.

Step 5: Leverage Available Technology

There’s a lot of technology available to help you recover stolen vehicle. This technology assists law enforcement in locating and recovering vehicles, and comes standard on several makes and models of cars: OnStar (General Motors), Safety Connect (Toyota) and Blue Link (Hyundai) are just a few examples, each with different capabilities. Blue Link, for example, will immobilize a stolen vehicle and report the vehicle location to the authorities.

If your vehicle doesn’t come equipped with this technology, you can install security systems that will sync with apps on your phone and allow you to track your vehicle location. It’s important to note that this technology is designed to help law enforcement track and recover your vehicle. Don’t try to approach a car thief on your own! Safety should always be your first consideration.

How to Prevent Car Theft 

Even if you don’t drive a luxury car with all the bells and whistles, you should still be diligent about preventing car theft. After all, the most common models that thieves steal are inexpensive base models that you likely encounter on your commute every day. They sound simple, but there are a host of common sense tips to prevent auto theft:

• Park in a well-traveled, well-lit area.
• Take your keys with you — avoid leaving them in your car.
• Close and lock all windows and doors.
• Never leave valuables in your car, especially if they are visible from the outside.
• Install an anti-theft device in your car.

Get Back on the Road

If your car is stolen, don’t despair. Your insurance is there to help you pick up the pieces after your car is stolen. Reach out to Farm Bureau today and schedule a SuperCheck® to ensure you have the right amount of coverage for all of life’s moments.