Carliving.info - Free information about living in cars, vans and campervans.

Mobile phones are cheap. Almost all mobile phones will allow you to make a call to 000 or the equivalent emergency number even if the phone is disconnected, no longer in service or if the keypad is locked. For $100 you can buy a mobile phone on a pre paid plan in Australia. If you get a long connection period with relatively high call costs you can stay contactable for ages. Staying in contact with friends and relatives is also a great way to ensure security. They will alert authorities if you don't contact them regularly.

Personal alarm.

Many variety stores, electronics stores and even supermarket now sell small keychain personal alarms with a 'panic' button. When threatened you can press the alarm. If you are inside of your vehicle and hear a noise or some one is trying to break in you can set off the alarm. Quite often though this will not deter some people. If you lean on the horn nice and long though that might deter them because they will realise that some one is in the car. That often deters would be thieves.

Weapons and Self Defense.

Self defense weapons. All I can say here is don't. Don't go down that track of having a knife or gun in your vehicle In Australia that's a crime. Unless you have a weapons licence for a knife in Victoria you can be charged with carrying a deadly weapon if you have a knife in your car in Victoria. Don't even think of carrying a gun. They are just so illegal in Australia that unless you are a police officer, a member of the armed forces, a farmer or a security guard with a gun license you will be going behind bars for quite some time for just having a gun in your car. So, no weapons okay. Nothing that is intended to be used as a weapon.

Having written that, if required to defend yourself you can use what you have at hand for self Defense. But what you have at hand has to be reasonable. You can not carry around a cross bow for general use inside of a car. You could carry around a stout metal torch, or a metal tire lever. Because these things are commonly used in a vehicle, and have a purpose within them. But don't pick a fight, don't pursue a fight. Defending yourself means using reasonable force. If you are awoken by the noise of some one breaking in to your car at night you are far better off to use your big torch to shine into the person's eyes to disorientate them while you jump into the driver's seat and fire up the engine to drive off. If you wave a wheel lug at a person trying to break into your car or van they are quite likely to back off. Only a few idiots will stay and fight. In this case you are far better getting in to the driver's seat and driving away. If you fight you may get injured, your vehicle may be damaged.

I strongly suggest that If you are disturbed at night, grab your car keys, sneak up to the driver's seat If you can. Lean on the horn, stick the keys in the ignition, start the car and get ready to move off. If problems persist use a torch or a camera's flash to blind the person/persons causing the problem and drive off. Stay in the car unless it is not safe to do so. Avoid confrontation, avoid a fight, and If you have no choice do not use unreasonable force . You may only use enough force to prevent the attacker from attacking you. This is why it is called 'reasonable' force. If the attacker is running away do not pursue them. Your life is not worth them turning on you. Let them go, particuary If you have not been harmed. If you pursue an attacker and injure them you will almost certainly be charged with assault in Australia. As a homeless person you may find that you are not believed as much as people living in a stable address.

Avoid conflicts. They're not worth the hassel. Don't go overboard.

Securing your possessions.

When you live in a vehicle you often have everything you own on you. So what happens If you get broken in to, If you have a crash or your vehicle gets stolen?

It is wise to have a back up plan. This can be relatives who will agree for you to stay with them in emergencies. It could be as simple as a reserve of money in the bank. It might be a box of supplies and a tent hidden in some back woods location. It could even be keeping tabs of the local shelters for some place to stay in dire straights.

Insurance is something you really need to think about. I know it is a financial drain. I hate having to pay insurance. I know however that If the shit does hit the fan that I will be covered with enough money to get me going again. I love my bus, and would hate for anything to happen to it, but I can sleep soundly at night knowing that is a worry that is covered.

Vehicle tracking.

Okay, you're probably thinking too expensive. Or what the? Here's a little trick you probably were not aware of but If you think of it, it makes common sense. Mobile phones can be tracked. Based on triangulation from the ground stations it is close to, it is possible to track mobile phones with some accuracy. We're not talking spot on, but probably within a 50 mete radius in a city and between 100 meters to about a kilometer in rural areas. So, If you have a mobile phone in your car, it can be tracked. But thieves steal mobile phones. So here's my proposal:

Buy a cheap mobile phone, put it on a one year plan. Buy a car charger for it. Find a place in your vehicle to hide the mobile phone, preferably behind a panel, behind upholstery or even in the engine bay within a sealed metal container that looks like it should be. Wire the phone charger to a power supply. Put the phone on silent mode, and stickytape it to the car charger so the connection won't come out.

The phone will be constantly charged, and will be turned on at all times. If your car is stolen, contact the police, explain that your vehicle has been stolen and can be tracked via your (other) mobile phone. If they have any nouse they will jump to tracking it because it will allow them to catch the thief red handed. It is not as good as a personal transponder or a Lo-Jack system, but it may help the police track your vehicle. Of course If you are one of those people who are paranoid about cops tracking you, well maybe this option is not for you.