Caravan Insurance is something you definitely should get if you own a caravan. A caravan is a valuable asset, and you could find yourself very out of pocket if you don’t insure it adequately. Caravan insurance provides protection if your caravan is stolen or damaged, however there are a number of ways you can stop this occurring.
It’s a sobering thought that there are in the region of three thousand caravans stolen in the United Kingdom each year, and with the increasing popularity of staying in the UK for a holiday and the resulting increase in caravan ownership and holidays, this figure can only be expected to go higher. Caravan owners should make sure they have the best security they can to deter thieves. Following is a list of 10 of the most effective ways to protect your caravan, taken as a whole they add up to a formidable deterrent.
- Security posts are an effective deterrent for people who park their caravan on the front drive of their home. These help stop thieves from taking the caravan from the drive, because they are concreted into the ground. Some posts come equipped with a towball on top that you hitch-lock the caravan to, and others can be either detachable or foldable to allow the caravan to move in and out of your driveway.
- Hitch locks are a useful device in providing some degree of protection against the opportunist thief. You should make sure it is manufactured of heavy steel that will cover the tow socket fixing bolts, and also has a very strong lock. Bear in mind that on their own though, they don’t offer an adequate level of protection for when the caravan is in storage.
- Wheel clamps are another option. Wheel clamps come in a range of qualities, but a useful rule of thumb is that by and large the easier they are to put on, then the easier they are for a thief to take off. So you need to make sure that you invest in a good clamp and also ensure that it is correct for your caravan. It is worth noting that some wheel clamps that are available on the market will allow a clever thief to take off both the wheel and the clamp in one go, so don’t get one of these.
- Another useful security measure is to etch either your caravan’s chassis number or your postal code on all of the caravan windows, and also several covert places inside the van. Instead you could just use a fibre-tipped pen on plywood inside a cupboard and under the beds, as this is almost impossible to remove. Even more ingeniously, you can instead use an ultra violet pen.
- Another useful deterrent is wheel stands. However, don’t underestimate the tenacity of a determined caravan thief, as this on their own won’t be likely to prevent them. You should ensure they are locked in place, and you should also check that your insurers are happy with you doing this, as some policies require wheel clamps to be used. You should also check your handbook, as many caravan manufacturers recommend that axle stands are used for winter storage.
- You should also take plenty of photos of your caravan, in particular any particularly defining features it may have. These photos can help you identify your caravan in the event that it is pinched.
- You could use some large stick-on characters or paint a number or code specific to you on the roof of your caravan. For instance you can use any number that is known only to you, or perhaps a parto f the caravan’s serial number. This may be extremely useful in the event that the caravan is pinched as it makes it easily identifiable from helicopters and light airplanes that the police use nowadays.
- There are a number of companies around that provide a service that entails embedding a microchip into your caravan. These microchips can then be identified using a scanner. Most vans made from 1998 will have datatags installed as standard. All previous CRiS (‘Caravan Registration and Identification Scheme) registered vans can have retrospectively fitted datatags. Bear in mind that there is a bit of a flaw to these schemes though, in there exists no centralised network of scanners available to track down these stolen vans.
- Another choice is a tracking system scheme, which involves the installation of a transmitter which is hidden about the caravan. In the event of the caravan being pinched the transmitter will send out a signal to help the police to find the caravan. There have been a number of good results using this scheme. However there exist a couple of issues when it comes to caravans (rather than cars or motorcaravans), the first is that the transmitter needs battery power in order to send out a signal, and the second is that the transmitter is only activated once the caravan has been reported as stolen. These issues present a difficulty if your caravan is in long-term storage, and only visited infrequently.
- You should unquestionably make a note of the chassis number of your caravan, and if it is registered with CRiS, you should keep the registration documents in a safe location away from the caravan. Other important information should also be noted and stored in this secure location.
The greater number of these ideas you implement, the more likely it is that your caravan won’t get pinched at all, and also, should it get stolen, that it will be returned to you.
But also, of course, make sure you have the right caravan insurance for your touring caravan.