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| The Basics | Don't hand your car over to thieves
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These days, bad guys can get around everything from electronic anti-theft devices to The Club. Even so, your best defense starts with simply taking the key.
By Bankrate.com
Car-theft prevention systems are becoming big business as the prices of autos skyrocket to levels baby boomers used to pay for homes.
Car owners spent $227 million in 2001 for electronic anti-theft systems, such as keyless entry and vehicle tracking, up from $142 million in 1995, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.
There are lots of ways to prevent your car from being stolen, including simply taking your keys out of the ignition and locking the car, steps that are apparently not as obvious as it sounds: New Haven, Conn., police say nearly one in five stolen vehicles is left unlocked with the keys in the ignition.
Use a layered approach
Police and security experts recommend what is called a layered approach to preventing car theft, even for cars that come from the manufacturer with anti-theft devices. How much you want to spend depends on how much you think it's worth keeping thieves away from that expensive car. Anti-theft devices range from under $50 to several hundred dollars.
No device in itself is foolproof, say the experts.
"Nothing, zero, zilch can absolutely stop the professional car thief," said Robert Painter, an independent auto-theft investigator and author of the book, "Auto Theft: Let the Truth Be Known."
"You are trying to slow them down. Gone in 60 seconds, as the movie says. I can have a car in 20 seconds -- and so can a lot of car thieves."
It's not like in the movies
Most of what you see in Hollywood movies about ripping off cars, such as reaching under the dash to hot wire the ignition, is way behind the times, said Painter. "Hot wiring went out in 1969 with the locked steering column," he said. "Most of the stuff they show on the screen is 30 years behind."
The verb of the day for auto theft experts is "defeat." A car thief doesn't beat a system, he "defeats" it.
Active or passive
Car anti-theft devices come in two forms: active and passive. If you have to do something to arm it, it's called active. Even your key or lock button is active, as are The Club and other devices that, essentially, are locking bars on the steering wheel. Passive is when the system automatically arms itself each and every time the vehicle is shut off, the ignition key removed, or a door is shut. Insurance companies tend to give better discounts for passive systems.
The more layers a car thief has to go through, the better the chances are he'll pick on some car other than yours, say police and the experts. Painter says that he can defeat the popular The Club system within a few seconds by simply cutting the steering wheel, which is much weaker than the lock. He recalls one case in which the car thieves first "defeated" The Club, then beat the female car-owner with it.
But manufacturer-equipped anti-theft systems are not the best by themselves, warns Painter. Police and other experts agree.
"The bad thing about a manufacturer's system is that if a thief finds a way to defeat the anti-theft device on, say, one Ford F-150, he can defeat the devices on all Ford F-150s anywhere in the country."
LoJack and OnStar
Tracking devices also exist, such as the LoJack, which emits a radio signal which police can use to zero in on the car's location after it has been stolen. Another is the OnStar program, which often comes with high-end cars. They are still not foolproof, because the OnStar system can be jammed and the LoJack's signal is only good in a limited area of about 40 miles or so. Police love the LoJack because in some cases, they've followed the LoJack signal as a dumb criminal has led them to auto chop shops or dumping spots for other stolen cars.
Painter and other experts like adding aftermarket systems to cars because they are often better hidden and the diversity of the products makes it difficult for the car thief to defeat.
The person who installs an aftermarket anti-theft system is as important as the system itself, warns Matt Swanston, staff director of communications for the Consumer Electronics Association. "Be certain that the installer is certified by Mobile Electronics Certified Professionals," Swanston said. "You don't want to have Uncle Henry install a system you bought at some auto parts store."
As anti-theft devices become more sophisticated, the bad guys find ways to defeat them. The good, old-fashioned brawn of a tow truck is an increasingly popular weapon in the thief's arsenal.
There are also systems that sound an alarm, and -- as anyone who has ever been in a large, crowded parking lot knows -- they often set off false alarms. What's more, a wailing car alarm system rarely attracts attention anymore.
Some people have their car alarm systems set off a pager if activated. It might not be enough to stop the theft, but would be enough for owners to notify police promptly.
Common sense comes first
Meanwhile, remember these common-sense tips:
- Take out the keys and lock your car.
- Park it in a locked garage at night, if possible. More than half of auto thefts occur in residential areas.
- Park in attended lots. Autos are five times more likely to be stolen from an unattended lot than from the street or an attended lot. More than half the cars are stolen at night.
- Back your car into your driveway so neighbors won't think that thief working under the hood is you adding washer fluid.
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