Beware of “mine parking” at airports during summer vacation! 4 things to check” to protect yourself from theft
During the Bon vacation period, many people will probably use parking lots near airports. Especially at Narita Airport, where there are many international travelers, there are nearly 100 parking lots around the airport, but some of them are “mine parking lots” that are managed in a negligent manner. Is there anything we can do to prevent our cars from being damaged? Kumiko Kato, an automotive journalist, looks into the latest situation at airport parking lots.
In June this year, a total of 20 passenger cars were stolen from two private parking lots near Narita Airport, 11 on the 10th and 9 on the 26th.
Many of you may be familiar with the Super Parking (a parking lot exclusively for airport delivery) that was damaged on the 26th, as it has been reported in many media outlets. As a result of the persistent search by more than 20 staff members, all 9 stolen cars were found within 72 hours. On the other hand, Parking Lot X, from which 11 cars were stolen on the 10th, has not released any details and has completely denied any damage in response to multiple media interviews. When we checked with the Narita Police Department, their response was that they could not provide a detailed explanation because they could not obtain the cooperation of the victim (Company X). Mr. A’s car, which is said to have been damaged, was later found by chance in Gunma Prefecture, and restoration work is currently underway.
The official websites of the private parking companies at Narita Airport state that they are “completely controlled by security cameras” and “have perfect anti-theft measures! We will protect your car.” “If something happens, our security company will be there immediately! Security company will be there immediately if anything happens to your car! However, in many cases, those statements cannot all be true.
Mr. A, whose car was stolen from Company X on June 10 and who is now making accusations about the actual situation through Google Maps reviews and other means, also told the interviewer the following: “I was told that the parking lot where you leave your keys is a sloppy place to park.
It was the first time for me to use a parking lot where I had to leave my key, but I was reassured that the parking lot had good security measures, and when I left my car with the key, it was stolen. I was told that the key was left in the lock.
Of course, there are many parking facilities that have a strong security system in place to deal with theft, and some, like the aforementioned Super Parking, are so sincere that they will do everything in their power to find the stolen customer’s car. On the other hand, some car parks have long practiced the unbelievable storage method of leaving the keys in the car and parking it in a large, dark, unlit parking lot. Others may have been victims of such practices, with scratches that were caused during the storage period not being addressed, or the inside of the car being covered in mud. The following are some measures to protect yourself from such “mine parking”.
