Does your car have a steering wheel lock? If so, it is probably one of the most important parts of your vehicle. But what exactly is a steering wheel lock and how does it work?
The locking mechanism is designed to prevent theft or misuse of the automobile by an unauthorized person. The idea behind this system was that when someone tries to steal a car, they cannot drive away because they can’t turn the key in the ignition due to the locking mechanism on their steering wheel.
In order for them to be able to drive away from where they are parked, they would need both hands on the steering wheel and feet on both pedals. This makes stealing a car extremely difficult with today’s technology!
However, if you’re looking for a way to prevent damages and/or hurtful events from occurring, this may not be the best option.
Driving your vehicle with a locked steering wheel is extremely dangerous. Driving at any speed requires the use of both hands and feet in order to safely operate a car. It is very possible that if someone were to attempt stealing your car.
Although they may not be able to drive away, they could still do a significant amount of damage to your locked steering wheel by ramming into objects such as poles, park benches, and even pedestrians.
While it is true that locking your steering wheel prevents a thief from stealing your car, it is more dangerous to both yourself and others around you that could potentially place yourselves in harm’s way. If you have a steering wheel lock on your vehicle, be sure to keep the key safely stored so no one will ever try stealing it!
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How Does Steering Lock Work?
The steering wheel lock is a heavy chunk of metal that stops your vehicle’s wheels from moving. This makes it harder for would-be thieves to escape with their car, as they’ll have difficulty cracking the device and stealing yours! The visual deterrent also helps make sure people know what kind of security measures are in place if you’ve got an expensive set like ours on hand.
Of course, even though lockout wheel devices can be one of the easiest ways to protect your vehicle and prevent theft, they’re not all created equal and some designs might cause more trouble than they’re worth. If you’ve been considering getting a steering wheel lock for yourself, here are three reasons why it could actually be one of the worst ideas out there.
It Could Damage Your Steering System
While the lockout wheel device itself is designed to prevent movement in the vehicle’s wheels, it’s not made with much consideration for how much pressure you’re placing on them. Locking down something rigid enough to keep the car from moving can sometimes be tough work, which means that your tire might end up bearing the brunt of the weight.
Even if you don’t already have something like this happen once or twice when you’ve locked your own car, it’s still a possibility because of where the lock is positioned on your vehicle. If it lands in between your tire and your brake pedal.
There’s no way you’re going to avoid exerting some pressure on the device. Maybe it’s for lightning-fast action, but even then this is one of those instances where you’ll want to be careful about what kind of force you’re using.
A Steering Lock Could Put Your Safety At Risk
Remember when we talked about how it can be tough to keep a driveway lockout wheel device attached? Worse yet, what happens when you come back to your car and realize that you’ve got a flat tire because of it?
Even though many people tend to avoid locking down their tires for this very reason, the steering wheel lock isn’t always going to make things easier for you. In fact, it can actually put your life in danger by putting your only available brake in a bad spot.
Since the lockout wheel device has to be on the other side of the steering wheel, that means there’s no way you’re going to be able to access it without removing your hands from the wheel long enough for someone to steal it away.
Of course, this actually works out pretty well if you’re trying to get away from a bad situation like carjacking, but it also means you won’t be able to stop the car on your own if something goes wrong.
While steering wheel locks definitely have some pros when it comes to protecting your vehicle, they can also put you in some dangerous situations if they’re poorly designed or in an inconvenient spot. If you’re thinking about getting one for yourself, make sure that the device you choose is not too hard to install and gives you access to your brakes at all times.
It Doesn’t Help Against Professional Thieves
The last problem with locking down your steering wheel is that it doesn’t do anything to protect against someone who’s really determined to steal your car. If a thief manages to get their hands on the device and figure out how to take it off, then they’ll be able to drive away with the convenience of having full access to your steering wheel and brakes.
If you’re thinking about getting a lockout wheel device for yourself, make sure that it provides some other kind of visual deterrent and can’t be easily removed. Even though this kind of product might not seem like it’s the right choice for people with really expensive cars, something like a steering wheel lock can still be a good idea for anyone who doesn’t want to leave their car out in front of their house unlocked at night.
Of course, if you’re really looking to get rid of the possibility that someone might steal your car, then it’s probably time for you to take a look at an alarm system or some other kind of added security. It’s either that or you should just keep the steering wheel and brakes covered so no one can use them.
Main Takeaways – How Does A Steering Lock Work?
A vehicle steering wheel lock is a device that secures the driver’s side of your car to make it more difficult for anyone without permission or knowledge to steal. It can be installed by an experienced locksmith and will generally take less than 30 minutes, but there are some things you should know before making this purchase.
For example, if your key fob isn’t working properly then installing one may not solve the problem because thieves won’t need access to it. You also want to ensure that whoever installs it has experience with different makes and models so they don’t damage any components on your dashboard as well as other features such as seat belt alarms and airbags in order to install the locking mechanism correctly.
If you’re going to install a steering wheel lock, then you should first determine your purpose for doing so. Is it because you want to protect yourself from thieves who might try and steal your car? Or is it more along the lines of preventing someone else from stealing it if they somehow got hold of your keys?
If you go with the first option, then you should consider that people will still be able to drive your car even if the steering wheel is locked, which means that they can still use it as a weapon against you. If this sounds like something you would like to avoid.
You might want to consider other alternatives such as getting rid of valuables or removing them from your car entirely. Another factor that you should consider is who installed it and how long they’ve been doing so.
If a locksmith or mechanic has a bad track record, then there’s a good chance that the quality of their work will be subpar as well. Remember to look for signs of damage on your car before accepting any services and always ask for references from previous clients.
Thanks for reading and stay safe
