Zego's advice for keeping your scooter from being stolen
When you depend on your scooter or motorbike to make a living, keeping it safe and secure is essential. In London, a staggering 15,000 scooters, motorcycles, and mopeds were reported stolen between 2016 and 2017—a sharp rise from 9,000 the previous year. These thefts accounted for over half of all stolen vehicles in the city.
While it’s hard to estimate the full cost to those affected, an average loss of £3,000 per stolen vehicle brings the total value of stolen scooters to £45 million.
Scooters are particularly vulnerable to theft due to their compact size and, often, a lack of sufficient security. According to the Metropolitan Police, it takes just seconds for an unsecured or poorly secured scooter to be stolen.
To tackle this growing issue, police recommend using at least two security measures to protect your scooter. With that in mind, we’ve put together practical tips on scooter security to help you stay safe on the road and keep your livelihood secure.
1. Never leave your keys in your bike
When you’re always on the go, it can be difficult to remember even the simplest things such as your scooter keys. So that thieves don’t have an easy time stealing your scooter, it’s a good idea to take a couple of seconds once you’ve parked up to make sure you remember to take your keys with you — even if you’re only going to be away from your scooter for a matter of moments.
Did you know?
There’s only a 40% recovery rate for stolen two-wheeled vehicles.
2. Use a lock
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that locks make it more difficult for your scooter to be stolen. To make your scooter as secure as possible, it’s a good idea to use a chain lock through the back wheel. If you can, secure your scooter so that the lock is off the ground and chained around an object that can’t be moved. Look for railings or a lamp post — that way thieves will be prevented from picking the entire scooter up.
3. Park wisely
We know that it’s not always easy to find a secure parking space. If you don’t have access to a garage, try parking somewhere that’s well lit and visible from your home. Not possible? An alternative is to use schemes such as Park Mark, which has been designed in association with the British Parking Association to provide drivers with a safe place to park.
4. Cover it up
Bike covers are a quick and easy way to protect your scooter, especially if you have a make or model that’s regularly targeted by thieves. There are two main advantages to bike covers; firstly, they prevent your scooter from being seen, meaning thieves are unable to determine the type of scooter you have whilst it’s covered.
Thieves also target scooters that can be stolen quickly. A scooter with a cover on it will cost thieves valuable time and prevent a quick getaway — which could make the difference between you keeping hold of your scooter and having it stolen.
Did you know?
75 powered two wheelers were stolen every day in 2016
5. Invest in additional fittings
Although they can be expensive, additional fittings such as alarms and trackers could make a huge difference. Look out for alarms that are Thatcham-rated 1 or 2. It’s also a good idea to seek out an alarm with extras including immobilisation, movement sensors and anti-grab. All of these will not only make your scooter harder to steal, but they could also increase your chances of tracing and recovering your vehicle successfully if it is stolen.
Remember, if you are unfortunate enough to have your scooter or motorbike stolen, you should contact the police immediately rather than trying to recover the vehicle yourself. If you go after a thief, you could be putting yourself at serious risk.
Sources:
https://www.met.police.uk/scootersecurity
http://www.parkmark.co.uk/about-the-safer-parking-scheme
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/features/have-million-missing-motorcycles-gone/
https://www.visordown.com/tags/motorcycle-theft-statistics-uk