Dealing with a Car Break In
If you travel and spend a decent amount of time on the road there's a possibility you will experience a car break-in.
Unfortunately, they are becoming more common and when you are away from home it can seem even more devastating. Add that with the van life and nomad living, a break-in can mean a majority of your items and a huge invasion of your privacy.
After returning from a Portland weekend getaway we experienced a car break-in. They smashed our two back windows and stole both of our backpacks when we stopped to get lunch.
It was a really big bummer and something we hope no one else has to experience. Because we are minimalist, those stolen items made up a large portion of what we own.
We lost about $3,000 worth of items and about 20% of all the stuff we own in one theft. More importantly, we had to figure out what to do next.
It was a bad situation but we dealt with it. We still don't regret our minimalist lifestyle or our nomadic adventures.
We aren't the first to deal with a car break-in and we won't be the last. If you ever find yourself in the same predicament, breathe, and then follow these steps.
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What to Do Right Away
Call the Police
They might not come out but you need to call them anyway. Typically if there aren’t any cameras or a license plate to report there is not much they can do.
They can instruct you on how to best report it which may be getting online and filling a report. Calling the cops thinking you'll get vengeance is not the right approach but instead making sure you cover your bases for insurance.
Call Your Insurance Company
Call your insurance company right after you get off the phone with the police. File a claim and give them all the information they need. You also want to find out what you are covered for and what you are not.
For us, we found out even though we had car insurance and trailer insurance, we were not covered for our stolen property. From what we found it seems like most car insurance plans don't cover stolen property but they may cover the price of window repair.
Change Passwords
Our laptop, iPad, and hard drive were stolen from our car. Not only was this expensive but our personal data was stolen. That meant right away it was best to change our passwords to avoid losing data and financial information.
Apps like One Password are helpful to keep all your passwords in one place and can help you change your logins as well. Use an app like this to take stock of your login information and change the usernames and passwords to keep your information protected.
Check GPS Enabled Devices
This is more of a long shot but if things get stolen that have GPS enabled, check it. iPads, Macs, iPhones all have a setting to find those items if they are missing. The only downside is it will only find the items if it connects to the internet or is on.
There is also the problem with what happens even if you find the location as many police officers will not be able to use this information to implement a plan to get the items back.
What to Do in The First Day
Make A Game Plan
For us, we needed to prioritize. We had to go into work the next day and had a lot of stuff to replace and do. We needed to figure out a way to keep our sanity but also repair damages, replace items and feel safe again.
That meant we started to develop a plan on how we would tackle things. Prioritizing items we needed sooner rather than later and deciding on times that worked for both of us was important so we didn’t get even more worked up as we fixed our situation.
Since we were on a work assignment away from home we had to rent a car from a place that would pick us up. This way we could get everything done that we needed to.
Make a List of Things You Lost
This is important for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, it gives you an idea of what you lost and need to replace. But secondly, it can help you understand the situation and how not all is lost. It is also important for insurance reasons and any type of claims that need to be made.
Get Damages Fixed
Unfortunately, we had both back windows busted out and decided to get them fixed immediately. We did this right away for two reasons.
1. We needed a window to protect our car (and us) from the weather.
2. Every time we saw the broken windows it made our hearts sink
Plus while we were waiting for it to get fixed we had some time to make calls and start working on the rest of our game plan.
Side note: Always check with your insurance company on who their approved repair people are. You can go through someone other than their people but you want to ensure they meet insurance standards or else you might not be covered in the event of future damage to those parts/repairs.
What to Do in The First Week
Start Replacing Essentials
For us this mostly meant toiletries. Phil was going crazy not having glasses as he was having to wear his contacts 14-16 hours a day. Toothpaste was another thing that we no longer had as well as a deodorant. Some of the essentials are so essential you should replace them pretty quickly.
We no longer had bags that we used for a daily gym/shower routine. Trying to replace everything day one will be too daunting so giving yourself a week may help with your stress.
Talk About It
We both were shaken up by our experience but Kelsey took it a little harder. Holding in that insecurity and fear can breed more sadness, anger, and fear. So make sure you talk about it, whether that’s with your significant other, kids, family or friends.
Just find someone to talk about it with so you get more comfortable with what you have already experienced and what you are still feeling.
Re-evaluate Your "safety Protocols"
This is a perfect time to look at your situation and think “why me?” That question shouldn’t lead you to blame others but think more critically about yourself. What could you have done to change this situation?
That doesn’t take away the blame from the robbers but it allows you to see where you’re living your life a little risky. For us, we found that we were leaving too many things in our car, even for just a couple of minutes.
We also were leaving too many items in the backseat of our car where people could easily see (and steal) the items rather than in the trunk or under a blanket. Hiding something under a blanket is actually what saved Kelsey’s purse (and our GoPro) from being stolen!
So use this time to evaluate where you can change things to improve your safety and reduce your risk of getting robbed again.
Make Changes to Insurance
We found when we called our insurance company that we weren’t covered in the way we thought we were. Our deductible was $1500 so all of the damage to the windows would be paid by us out of pocket. Also, we weren’t able to get any money back for the stolen property as our car insurance didn’t cover personal property theft.
We still stand by our decision to not pay more in monthly premiums for a lower deductible and to not pay more for personal property protection. What we wish we would have done better was knowing beforehand what our coverages were so we wouldn’t have been as surprised when the robbery happened. For you, you might use this opportunity to change your insurance coverage or maybe even your insurance company.
Hopefully, no one will ever have to deal with this like we did but sometimes life just happens. So, if it happens to you, know you are not alone and that even though it sucks you will get through it.
