Keeping Your Bicycle Safe in Oakland County – As someone who receives law enforcement email bulletins from communities throughout Oakland County, I’m shocked at how many bikes get stolen at our local libraries. Spring is here and it’s time to learn how to protect your bike and teach your kids how to protect their bicycles from being stolen.
This Keeping Your Bicycle Safe in Oakland County has been provided to Oakland County Moms by Janette Duffy. Jane is a freelance writer and editor, working across a wide variety of fields. Her main interest is exploring how people can improve their health and well being in their everyday life. And when she isn’t writing, Jane can often be found with her nose in a good book, at the gym or just spending quality time with her family.
Did you know that bicycle theft is on the increase in the USA, with the FBI stating that as many as 1.5 million bicycles are stolen across the country every year? Nowhere do more bikes get stolen than on university campuses and Oakland University is no exception. As of last year, all students bringing bikes on campus had to register them with the OUPD in an attempt to not only minimize theft but to prevent a loss of property as well.
HELP YOUR CHILD BREAK THE TRAINING WHEELS HABIT
A proactive, close-knit community is extremely useful in the prevention of petty crimes such as bike theft. Registration initiatives, community policing and the regular enforcement of basic laws are all strong deterrents of common larceny. While state-of-the-art GPS-based bike recovery systems are very successful in the recovery of stolen property, it does not negate the importance of practicing basic precautions that may prevent your bike from being stolen in the first place.
Keeping Your Bicycle Safe in Oakland County
Keeping Your Bicycle Safe in Oakland County – Lock Your Bike
Don’t ever leave your bike unattended, not even for a minute. A bike that is left unlocked is a bike begging to be stolen. Locking your bike every time you step away from it is the best way to prevent it from being stolen. Make sure you lock your bike to something unmovable and secure as small trees and fences can easily be cut and certain street signs can be lifted out of the ground. It is recommended that you use more than one lock to make it more difficult for thieves to steal your bike. A lot of cyclists make use of a U-lock to first secure the back wheel and frame to a secure object and then use a chain or cable to secure the front wheel to the frame. Even if a would-be thief does manage to disarm one lock, he will have to contend with the second and by that time you have hopefully returned to your bike. Due to the fact that so many bikes are stolen right off the owner’s property, it is suggested to lock your bike up in the same fashion even when at home.
Keeping Your Bicycle Safe in Oakland County – Register Your Bike and Insure It
The importance of registering your bike cannot be reiterated enough. Many bicycle manufacturers offer registration facilities on their websites while national independent web-based initiatives such as the Bike Index make provision for track and trace facilities based on your bike’s particulars that you capture on the website. While there is, unfortunately, no guarantee that your stolen bike will be recovered it is worth a try as bicycle recovery services have proven to be very successful in their efforts. Residing in Oakland County, be sure to visit the Oakland University Police Department with all of your bike’s particular as they offer bicycle registration completely free of charge. If you own a decent bike it is recommended that you insure it. In the eventuality of you falling victim to theft, you will at least be able to get a new bike. There are numerous ways you can go about insurance – check with your current service provider, if you have one, to discuss which method will work best for you.
Regardless of the precautions, you take to ensure the safety of your bike chances are that there is a thief will be able to outsmart you. By being prepared for the worst while remaining positive that you will not become yet another bike-theft statistic you are giving yourself the best possible chance of keeping your prized possession out of the hands of a thief.
For info on Oakland County bicycle safety and keeping your bicycle safe in Oakland County, visit www.oakgov.com/sheriff/Pages/safety_tips
