As you quicky approach your college move-in, it is important to officially make your decision to ship your vehicle to college so you can avoid driving it there yourself. By doing this, you also formally accept having your car on campus with you, which brings a big responsibility in itself. If you have never before had your car with you while away at school, how to navigate this varies from school to school; however, in general, there are a few key things that are important to remember.
Find Out Where You Can Park
When it comes to parking your vehicle on campus, every school has different rules and regulations to it. Some schools require permits to park on campus and allow permitted vehicles to park in designated areas, while others assign students to certain lots, and others simply allow anyone to park anywhere at any time. It is important to learn how your campus operates as soon as possible so you can go through any required process in order to park your vehicle on campus. For example, if your school requires permits, you will want to file for one ASAP or if your school assigns parking, find out what lot you are assigned to. You want to park in the correct area always to avoid tickets or towing.
Keep All Valuables Out of Sight
College campuses are in some ways the safest places and in some ways the least safe place to be. When it comes to parking on campus, your car is most likely completely safe, but it is important to still be cautious. Before leaving your vehicle unattended, we highly recommend you hide away any valuables. It would be best not to keep anything of value in your car in general, but if you must leave things in your car when you are not present, we suggest either putting the items in your trunk or covering them in the car. Even though simply covering the items may sound silly and useless, it actually is proven to reduce thefts. Sometimes, just seeing items through windows entices people to break into a vehicle.
Keep an Emergency Kit in Your Car
We suggest keeping an emergency kit in your car at all times in case of, well, an emergency! In your kit you should keep a first aid kit, an umbrella, change of clothes, bottle of water, and some sort of nonperishable food. For the food item, make sure it is not something that would rot or melt when sitting in a car!
