How to Keep Your Car Safe and Secure

Your car is one of your most valuable assets, and you want to protect it from theft, vandalism, and damage. But how can you ensure your car’s safety and security, especially when you park it in public places or leave it unattended for long periods of time? Here are some tips and best practices to keep your car safe and secure.

• Lock your doors and windows. This may seem obvious, but many car thefts and break-ins happen because the owners forget to lock their doors or leave their windows slightly open. Always lock your doors and windows when you park your car, even if you are only leaving it for a few minutes. This will deter opportunistic thieves and make it harder for them to access your car.

• Use an alarm system or a steering wheel lock. Another way to prevent car theft is to use an alarm system or a steering wheel lock. An alarm system will alert you and others if someone tries to tamper with your car, while a steering wheel lock will make it impossible for the thief to drive away with your car. These devices can also act as visual deterrents, making your car less attractive to potential thieves.

• Park in well-lit and secure areas. Where you park your car can also affect its safety and security. Avoid parking in dark, isolated, or unfamiliar areas, where your car may be more vulnerable to theft or vandalism. Instead, park in well-lit and secure areas, such as parking garages, lots, or structures that have surveillance cameras, security guards, or access control systems. These features will make it more difficult for criminals to target your car and more likely for them to be caught if they do.

• Don’t leave valuables in plain sight. One of the most common reasons why cars are broken into is because the owners leave valuables in plain sight, such as laptops, phones, wallets, purses, or bags. These items can tempt thieves to smash your windows and grab them. To avoid this, don’t leave any valuables in plain sight when you park your car. Either take them with you, hide them in the trunk or glove compartment, or cover them with a blanket or a jacket.

• Use a smart parking app like ParqEx. Finally, one of the best ways to keep your car safe and secure is to use a smart parking app like ParqEx. ParqEx is a platform that connects drivers with private parking spaces that are safer, cheaper, and more convenient than public parking options. With ParqEx, you can find and book parking spaces in advance or on-demand, using your smartphone or computer. You can also access exclusive parking spaces that are only available on ParqEx, such as residential garages, driveways, or lots. These spaces are often more secure than public parking spaces, as they are located in private properties that have less traffic and more protection. ParqEx also offers features like Access+, which allows you to open garage doors or gates with your phone, and GuestParq, which allows you to share access to your parking space with your guests or visitors. By using ParqEx, you can save time, money, and hassle while ensuring your car’s safety and security.

Keeping your car safe and secure is important for your peace of mind and your wallet. By following these tips and using ParqEx, you can protect your car from theft, vandalism, and damage while enjoying the convenience and comfort of private parking.

The post Protect Your Car (from People Who Can’t Park) appeared first on ParqEx.

If not, now may be the time to start planning. To help you in that process, here are 5 tips you can follow to make sure that you and your vehicle remain safe while preparing your car for winter.

1) Ensure Secure Tread

Adjusting your tires for colder seasons is probably the most obvious step in your preparation. Naturally, you don’t want to drive on tires that are slippery enough to give out or lose control at any sign of icing or snow.

At the very least, your tread should be deep enough to prevent any easy slippage, and your pressure should be at normal levels. A better solution is to put on winter tires, which will be more secure and stable than your typical all-weather alternatives. You may even want to look into chains, depending on your area.

2) Check Your Coolant

Coolant keeps your engine from overheating. But during winter, its antifreeze component also makes sure that the engine doesn’t freeze when it gets icy out. As a result, making sure that your antifreeze levels are where they should be is your second step in winter preparation.

Your car manual should tell you exactly what you can do to check antifreeze levels and add liquid if necessary. If you need it, you can buy antifreeze at any auto supply store in your area.

3) Prepare Your Wipers

Don’t forget about the importance of being able to see clearly when the snow starts coming down. Instead, make sure you’re prepared adequately by installing new wipers that clean your windshield properly and reliably.

In addition, you can also adjust your windshield wiper fluids. You can actually buy liquid specifically designed for colder weather, which includes antifreeze components to ensure you can always use it when the need arises.

4) Ensure Braking Functionality

It’s snowing, you see a red light, and you want to stop. The functionality and health of your brakes will determine whether the result is a routine you go through countless times on your commute, or an accident that could have been easily prevented.

Brakes naturally wear down over time, and the worst time for that to happen is when the road is slippery due to snow and ice. Before we get to that point, check your brakes and replace them if necessary to keep yourself and your vehicle safe through the season.

5) Never Run Empty

At this point, two common themes have emerged: make sure everything about your car is functioning properly, and that the liquids your engine needs to run will not freeze. The final step to ensuring the latter is to make sure that as it starts to get cold, never leave less than a quarter of a tank of gasoline in your car.

Gas won’t freeze nearly as easily as other liquids. But if you have too little, it will begin to form condensation, which impacts the productivity of your engine. Plus, you never know when you might get stuck in snow, and you don’t want to run out of gas when that happens.

In short, preparing your car for winter can be an in-depth process. To stay safe, and avoid weather-related accidents, you need to make sure that your vehicle can handle the cold season.

Don’t forget about your parking opportunities, either. Especially once the snow starts to come, you need to know that you always have a place for your car to stay when you’re not driving. Especially city parking spots can be expensive, of course. For an alternative that allows you to park for affordable prices and keep your car safe and functional during winter, contact us.

The post 5 Steps to Prepare Your Car for Winter appeared first on ParqEx.

Safety

The first thing that many people want to know about self-driving cars is how safe they are. You may be surprised to hear that self-driving cars are, at least in theory, much safer than cars driven by humans. They’re still in development of course, but the reality is that computers can accept input, respond, and multitask much more quickly and efficiently than humans can, even on their best days. While humans can be very unpredictable, computers tend to be very predictable, to both humans and other computers.

Although Google, one of the leading researchers in the world of self-driving cars, has had a number of autonomous cars on the road for many years, they have only recorded a few accidents, and in most cases, the autonomous car was not at fault. Although many people have a hard time believing it at first, self-driving cars may very well make the roads considerably safer.

Cost

Currently, self-driving cars are very expensive. In fact, one of these vehicles can cost as much as several hundred thousand dollars. This is out of most people’s price range, of course. The high price of one of these cars is due to the expense of the many sensors and systems that are required for safe operation. In addition to a long list of safety sensors, the cars generally use cameras, a high-quality GPS system, and software to keep everything running. However, this price is expected to come down considerably in the future. In fact, within the next decade or two, the entire automation system may only add a few thousand dollars to the price of a vehicle.

Uses

So what are all of these autonomous vehicles going to be used for? Of course, the thing most people think of first is human transportation. Need to go to the store or get your kids to soccer practice? Just jump in and it’ll get you there. There are a number of other possibilities though. For example, Ridesharing companies are already partnering with autonomous car manufacturers with the intention of eliminating the need for drivers. Many companies are also considering this technology for deliveries, both on a small-scale, such as delivering your lunch, and on a large-scale, for example, tractor-trailer delivery companies.

Legal aspects

Unfortunately, there are not a lot of autonomous cars on the road yet. This is partially due to a lack of acceptance and trust, as well as a lack of knowledge, from the general public, but it is also because of the fact that many states have not legalized the use of these vehicles yet. On the other hand, you may be surprised to know that several states have decided to allow this new technology. A handful of states have already enacted laws that make self-driving cars legal, and many other states only have vaguely written legislature that does not allow or disallow the technology.

Future

What’s next with self-driving cars? According to some predictions, this technology may be commonplace by 2020 or a little after. Numerous companies are working on this, in addition to Google. Some of these companies include GM, Ford, Tesla, and Audi. Would you ride in a car that drives itself?

Looking for more information about innovative transportation technology? Google gives lots of good information about their program here, and this article talks about the growth of the self-driving car industry that is expected by 2020. Feel free to contact us with any other questions.

The post Self-Driving Cars: What You Need to Know appeared first on ParqEx.

Car services like Lyft and accommodations sites like Airbnb allow people to share what they have, whether that be a car or a home, with others who are looking to use them. Both parties win, with cheaper prices for the guests and some extra income for those renting. This service has started to work its way into other industries, such as apartment rentals, and of course, parking.

Community-oriented and focused on bringing people together so that everyone gets what they’re looking for, ParqEx is a parking app that epitomizes the sharing economy. People can search for parking spots listed by their neighbors and reserve them for hours or months, depending on what they need. Those who list their spots are able to make some extra money on something they already have.

As well, the app facilitates this transaction, uniting neighbors in an easy-to-use platform that allows them to easily swap what they have for what they want. It’s quick and simple, as well as readily available whenever they need it, making folks wonder why they wouldn’t use it.

The sharing economy will continue to grow in the near future, and more businesses will hop on board — even businesses you wouldn’t have guessed could even partake! Don’t miss out on your chance to create a win-win situation for you and your community by utilizing these services. Finally, Parking Comes to You with Sharing Economy. From traveling to parking, you’ll be glad you did.

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These acts of vandalism have grown in cost, with innocent drivers being forced to pay hundreds of dollars to replace their tires. Neighbors are being asked to remove space savers if they are seen, but people also fear for their safety as well as for their cars.

So how can you park in a snow-free spot without risking the tires on your car?

To avoid this “street justice” problem, you can commit to shoveling out spots on a regular basis, but that requires a lot of time and effort. Besides, if it’s freezing out already, this can often seem like the worst case scenario.

What we recommend is that you can use ParqEx to rent a spot that is snow-free (possibly even covered or indoors) for a minimal fee. This helps out your community by keeping money local, but it also provides you with a safe, dry spot to leave your car. These spots are also often protected, either by security or a garage, so you can park without fear of “street justice” having its way with your vehicle.

You shouldn’t have to worry about the safety of your car. When you use ParqEx, you don’t have to.

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