Despite the number of break and enter offences in the home falling in recent years, garages are a prime target for burglars. Here’s how to keep your garage safe.
Home Insurance
How to improve the security of your driveway or carport
If you don’t have a garage, you need to consider the security of your driveway or carport. These are the top tips for keeping your vehicle safe from theft.
Parking your vehicle in a locked garage is the best way of preventing car theft, but not everyone has that option. While parking your car in your driveway or a carport is safer than the street, there are extra measures you can make to improve security.
The Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) reported 5,503 vehicles were stolen from streets in Victoria in the year to September 2023: almost 29 per cent of all cars stolen, while 2,042 vehicles were stolen from driveways and carports during the same time.
Here are some tips to improve the security of your carport or driveway to help prevent theft. These tips complement our guides on how to keep your car safe at home and how to prevent car theft.
How to make your driveway or carport safer from theft
Install a gate on your driveway
Putting up fences with a gated entrance to your driveway provides a solid physical barrier that prevents would-be thieves from walking or driving right up to your car. It also screens vehicles from view, removing motivation for thieves.
Metal and wood are strong, sturdy materials for fences and gates. You can install a manual gate, which you will have to open and close each time you enter or leave, or an automatic gate, which can be remotely controlled from your vehicle. Another benefit of automatic gates is that they prevent you from forgetting to close or lock the gate yourself.
Driveway gates can also be fitted with access control technology, such as keypads, key fobs, or even intercoms that allow you to speak with or see who’s at your gate. This helps ensure that all access onto your property is authorised.
Park your car in a locked garage instead of the driveway whenever possible.
Create entry and exit barriers to your carport
Just like the entrance to your driveway, a gate at the entrance to your carport can help prevent unauthorised access to your vehicle. Neighbourhood Watch CEO Bambi Gordon says that making theft more difficult is key to dissuading burglars.
“Anything that makes it that bit more difficult, takes more time to get to your car, or entails the offender being seen by neighbours or passing traffic, is a good thing,” Gordon says.
You can transform your carport into something more like a garage by partially or fully enclosing it with walls and a garage-type door (for example, a roller door). Use sturdy materials like solid wood or steel, not flimsy materials like plastic or metal siding. Check with your local council before enclosing your carport.
Security bollards installed at the entrance to your driveway or carport can also block thieves from driving off in your car. They are fantastic visual deterrents, as thieves know they are generally too heavy and solid to break through.
Use heavy-duty garage door locks
A garage door or driveway gate is only as good as its lock when it comes to security. Make sure to equip doors and gates with secure locks like combination padlocks or deadbolts.
A fence can help secure your driveway or carport.
Install lighting and trim hedges for better visibility
Thieves don’t want to be seen when attempting to commit a crime. Keeping your trees, hedges and bushes trimmed on your property – particularly along your fence line, driveway and carport – removes potential hiding spots.
Installing motion-sensor floodlights will trigger a bright light if movement is sensed nearby. Thieves can be startled and scared away by a sudden spotlight that reveals they are trespassing. Energy-efficient LED lights are usually best.
“Ensure that your car is locked, property is removed from the vehicle (and that includes loose change!), and position a sensor light so that if someone is creeping around your car you can be warned,” Gordon advises.
Consider CCTV or alarm systems
Visible security cameras or CCTV cameras focused on your driveway and carport (and home entry points) can help deter thieves. You can monitor your carport remotely with live video feeds or capture images of the thieves if your car is stolen.
Alarm systems with audible alarms can scare off thieves when activated. They can also notify you and a professional monitoring service via phone, text or app so that you can take immediate action.
Adding a gate to a fence can help deter car thieves. Image: Getty
Warn thieves off with security signs
Finally, adding highly visible security stickers or signs around your driveway and/or carport’s entrance can help ward off thieves. Security signs let thieves know that attacking your property isn’t worth the risk.
“Thieves don’t want to be seen,” Gordon says. “A sticker indicating that your street has neighbours watching out for each other will help to deter a thief.”
You can request free stickers from Neighbourhood Watch to warn burglars and show that you're actively involved in improving community safety.
The information provided is general advice only. Before making any decisions, please consider your own circumstances and the Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determinations. For copies, visit racv.com.au. As distributor, RACV Insurance Services Pty Ltd AFS Licence No. 230039 receives commission for each policy sold or renewed. Product(s) issued by Insurance Manufacturers of Australia Pty Ltd ABN 93 004 208 084 AFS Licence No. 227678.
RACV Security Pty Ltd ABN 49 079 148 342 trading as RACV Home Security. Security Licence (Vic.) 733-411-10S and Security Registration (Vic.) 733-411-31S.
