Those three things are sometimes all a car thief needs to take your ride out for a ride of his own, according to Matt McMillen, an auto theft detective from the Washington State Patrol.

Use common sense: Don’t ever leave your keys in the car - which is not uncommon, he notes - or even hide a key somewhere outside your car. Experienced thieves know where you leave them.

Be sure to park in a well-lit area where a lot of other cars are parked. Thieves take advantage of low-lit areas where there are few others around to notice them.

Invest in a "tracking device" such as LoJack, which can help police find your car if it is stolen. LoJack places tiny transceivers around a car that go off and alert police with a radio signal when a car is stolen - and where to find it. It costs around $600 and up.

Memorize your license plate number, so if thieves take your car, local law enforcement will have a reference to your car that beats a general description.

Take a picture of your car. If you become a victim of car theft, distribute pictures of the car to friends and neighbors. It may sound futile, but McMillen notes that it can make a big difference.

If you’re in the market for a new car, consider models that will be safer from car thieves. Cars such as Toyotas and Hondas tend to be much easier to steal, and because they are so common, are harder to find once stolen. Car models such as Volkswagen, BMW and Volvo have many more built-in safety measures and are difficult to steal, McMillen said.

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