|
|
|
|
|
You
may have already seen tips from your car insurer or
local police about how to protect your car from
theft. Most of this advice is plain common sense:
take your keys and valuables with you, lock your
doors, roll up your windows, avoid parking in dark
places, etc. Unfortunately some "tips" only
perpetuate urban legends from twenty years ago.
|
 |
|
|
Car theft is a multi-billion
pound business run by professionals. Here are some
misconceptions and facts about car theft today. |
|
|
|
MYTH: Car theft is a
non-violent, "one-victim" crime. It's estimated that 90% of
all stolen cars are involved in a secondary crime like
robbery, drug transportation and people smuggling. That
works out to about a million secondary crimes associated
with car theft every year. A stolen car is over 200 times
more likely to be involved in an accident than average. A
stolen car is very dangerous. |
|
|
|
MYTH: It's mostly joyriding -
no harm no foul. The relatively few car thieves who do it
"just for kicks" are usually underage or
under-the-influence. Twelve-year-old kids don't know how to
drive safely even if they wanted to. Car thieves know that
police are under orders to avoid high-speed pursuit. So when
a police car is following them, they will drive recklessly
at high speed. |
|
|
|
MYTH: A car alarm or steering
wheel lock will stop most car thieves. After years of
aggravation, car alarms are now viewed as a major source of
noise pollution. They don't do much to stop theft either.
Most of us ignore them if we can. Professional car thieves
can disable alarms in a few minutes. Likewise bypassing a
steering wheel lock requires only a hacksaw and a few
minutes. Active anti-theft devices like "crook locks" and
"brake locks" are only effective if you remember to use
them. |
|
|
|
MYTH: Didn't you see 'Gone in
60 Seconds?' Car thieves are cool. Would you leave your
wallet filled with £15,000 in cash in your driveway? From a
risk-reward perspective, car theft ranks near the top. It
attracts international criminal gangs, most with ties to
terrorism, drug dealing and prostitution. Car theft is also
a major source of cash flow for drug addicts who cannot hold
down a regular job. |
|
|
|
FACT: Car thieves will always
be with us. There will always be car thieves, but we can cut
their numbers. With widespread advances of electronic
immobilizers and vehicle parts marking systems, car theft
has dropped as much as 50%. Thieves are getting smarter but
there are fewer of them. |
|
|
|
Car security |
|
A few
common-sense rules will help you to stay one step
ahead of car thieves. Follow these guidelines and
you’re far less likely to become a victim. |
 |
|
|
|
-
• Always
lock your car, even if you are only leaving it for a few
seconds to pay for fuel. Close all windows, including
the sunroof, put the steering lock on and activate any
alarm fitted.
-
Keep
doors locked while you’re driving. Some cars
automatically lock doors when you pull away. Make sure
valuable items are out of the reach of criminals, who
can approach your car in traffic queues or when stopped
at lights.
-
Don’t
leave anything on display or stored in your car,
especially when it’s parked overnight. Don’t think that
because your car is on your driveway it will be safe –
Home Office figures show 63% of thefts are from outside
owners’ homes.
-
If
someone attempts to steal your car during busy periods
while you are in it, sound your horn and flash your
lights to attract attention. If there’s no-one about to
help, or the attacker looks like they could turn
violent, then just give them the keys.
-
Fit an
alarm if one is not standard on your car. Approved
installers can be found through
www.vsib.co.uk while products tested by security
organisation Thatcham are listed on
www.thatcham.org.
-
Choose a
busy, well-lit place to park, preferably close to CCTV
cameras. You can find more secure car parks by logging
on to
www.saferparking.com and looking for the Park Mark.
-
If you
don’t have a unique-fit stereo that can only be used in
your car, consider fitting a system with a removable
front panel. Take it with you when you leave the car so
that thieves aren’t tempted.
-
Hide car
keys well away from doors and windows in your home.
Thieves can use fishing rods to hook them through a
letter box or open window and make off with your car.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Car Doctor is
operated by |
|
