Nowadays, no one, nothing is exempt from theft. As more people use electric scooters, scooter theft has also become frequent and common. The devious ways these crooks go about would include threatening riders so they can steal their e-scooters, while others cut locks to steal e-scooters wherever they’re parked in open, public spaces.
All is not lost. You can protect your electric scooter. Theft is an ugly word no one wants to experience, so to prevent such incident, read and follow this quick guide that offers foolproof ways to safeguard and keep your electric scooter secure – it’s for your own peace of mind.
1. Avoid leaving your electric scooter outside. If you can, as much as possible, take your electric scooter with you. Don’t leave it outside unattended. In cases where you have to leave your electric scooter outside, ask someone to guard or look after it while you are away. Prevention is the best deterrent to protect your electric scooter from theft.
Although electric scooters are compact and portable, it’s easy to carry them around and store them in small spaces. You could easily stow away your e-scooter . You can leave your electric scooter beside your desk, inside a large locker, or between gaps, instead of parking it outside. Keeping it near you will enable you to watch over it without any worries.
2. Find a safe place to park. Finally, find a safe public place to park your electric scooter if you can’t bring it with you inside a building. Make sure to lock your electric scooter properly, and ask someone to keep an eye on it while you’re gone. If you’re in a parking lot, try to find a spot near a surveillance camera so that security can monitor your e-scooter. It will also be helpful to determine the thief in case of a theft. Moreover, avoid going or parking in areas with high crime rates. Keep yourself informed of areas with reported e-scooter thefts and avoid these places as much as possible.
3. Your safety comes first. Invest in the following items like e-scooter locks, alarm and of course, a scooter bag. And be careful whenever you ride outside or leave your electric scooter outdoors. Moreover, protect yourself from threats by riding in public areas. Avoid riding at night. And If you are still planning to buy an electric scooter, go with a light, compact, and foldable electric scooter that you can take with you — in public transit, inside buildings, and anywhere you go.
#4: Use an electric scooter lock. In situations where you can’t bring your electric scooter inside a building, protect your electric scooter by using a lock. Electric scooter locks are similar to bicycle locks. Using locks will not only keep your electric scooter in place but also make it difficult for thieves to steal your e-scooter. Besides, it’s an investment that pays off the more you use it. So, you must use a really sturdy electric scooter lock before hitting the streets. Be sure to get the one that offers many features – with an alarm that sounds off once the lock is being removed, to digital locks that automatically alert the rider once the electric scooter is moved.
5. Attach an alarm. Another way to prevent theft is to attach an alarm to your e-scooter in case your lock doesn’t come with an alert system. Attaching an alarm would offer added protection for your e-scooter. These alarms will trigger when you don’t lock your e-scooter, when someone touches your e-scooter, or when the electric scooter has been moved. Alarms do not only notify the owner but also the rest of the people in the thief’s vicinity. After all, the alarm can blast a loud sound, drawing attention to itself. This can catch the thief off guard, and make them leave hurriedly to avoid getting caught.
Now, what kind of lock is best? Go for the most secure traditional type of lock for scooters — use a D-Lock or U-Lock. Almost all of the ‘Sold Secure Gold’ ratings are held by this type of lock. A D-Lock is a hardened steel shackle that can be attached to the scooter and is a sturdy object. Use a U-lock as it is more secure.
Mearth gives a thumbs up to these type of locks, as they are fail-safe and dependable security devices that assuredly foils even a well-planned snitching. There are other electronic theft deterrents available too, and used together with the U-lock, they double the electric scooter’s protection against scooter bandits. Make sure to lock the frame of the scooter too, and not just the wheel. Thieves are getting to be so cunning – they can unscrew wheels and steal the rest of the scooter.
A high-quality U-lock is ideal and is appropriately sized for your Mearth RS Pro electric scooter. They are named U-locks because of their shape, which consists of a U-shaped shackle that locks into a straight crossbar.
Made from hardened steel and heavy-duty, the U-Locks are undoubtedly top-quality, weighing about 2kg. They have a thick shackle and crossbar and can resist power tools.
The U-locks, come in a variety of sizes. Some have longer shackles to make them easier to lock your scooter to harder-to-reach objects. You can also opt for the shortest shackles that will fit your e-scooter; they are doubly secure nonetheless. Using a U-lock with cable improves the cable lock design by having a miniature U-lock at the weakest point for increased protection. A strong cable gives double security to a U-lock. These require either very tough bolt cutters or power tools to detach. Attempting to dislodge the U-Lock or D-Lock will leave ‘em rascals frustrated and empty-handed.
Word of caution: If you don’t want to worry too much as to how you can prevent thieves from stealing your electric scooter in the future, never use cheap locks or cables and chains, even if they are flexible and light, as they are easy to break or cut. It’s the same with a disc lock as it can be easily picked by an experienced crook. Truth be told – App locking does not work either.
What’s the cost of security and your peace of mind? Budget about 5 percent (this is an estimate) of the cost of the shooter on a lock. It is worth it.
Having presented the do’s and don’ts so you can protect your e-scooter from robbers, remember the no-nonsense ‘golden rules of security’ and buy a lock that works for you, seriously.
