Car theft is on the decline - and today, the chances that your vehicle
will be stolen are lower than any time in the past 15 years. The
FBI estimates that in 2010, some 737,142 vehicles were stolen in the
U.S., a drop of more than 7 percent from the year before. The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports the more of the same: it
says that in 2009, car theft fell more than 21 percent, to an average of
1.33 vehicles stolen per 1,000.
But while anti-theft systems and
marked car parts have made it harder to steal cars and sell the pieces,
it's still far too common a crime in many cities - especially in
California, which counts seven of the top 10 cities for car theft,
according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. As quickly as
carmakers and drivers take preventative measures, professional theft
rings and chop shops work to defeat them.
The most sophisticated
crooks may have an upper hand, but some simple prevention can keep you
and your car from falling victim to casual thieves. Many cars get stolen
or vandalized because their owners didn't take the most basic
precautions like locking up, never leaving it running, and never leaving
the keys in it.
Beyond the obvious, it's all about eliminating
the other clear signs that your car is there for the taking. When car
thieves are looking for their next score, these are four things they
love to see:
1) Easy targets. Cars parked in
dark, isolated, or otherwise concealed areas are excellent choices for
the aspiring car thief. But so do vehicles that show obvious signs of
neglect: a collection of parking tickets, for example, or just a coat of
road dust, anything that suggests the owner hasn't been on the scene in
a while. If you're going to park your vehicle for an extended period,
leave it somewhere attended - or disable it by removing the battery to
make a quick getaway impossible.
2) Popular late-model cars. The list of most-stolen cars is topped by perennial best-sellers like the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Chevrolet Impala, and Ford F-150.
Some more exotic cars may have higher theft rates, but these mainstream
victims of theft arise from a set of factors: the black market for
parts, the ease of breaking into them, and the anonymity of driving off
in one from the scene of the crime. If you own one, the usual
precautions apply, but additional protection might not just be a good
idea, it may also reduce your insurance rates.
3) Cars with no visible, activated alarm system. Real-time vehicle tracking systems such as GM's
OnStar and aftermarket services like LoJack are the bane of thieves,
but most luxury cars and even many mass-market vehicles come with basic
anti-theft systems. They don't pose much of an obstacle if they're not
activated, though. If you have a vehicle with such a system, make sure
it's armed when you walk away.
4) Electronics and their tell-tale cords. Portable music players, laptops, tablets,
even radar detectors - they're all easily and quickly lifted from
exposed vehicles. They can also easily be wiped of identifying
information and resold. Even the presence of charging cables may be
enough to tell a casual vandal that it's worth getting into your car to
go through the glovebox and armrest to see if you've stashed a phone or
an iPod there. Do yourself a favor: tuck away the cables, and secure
anything you'd rather not lose in the trunk--or carry it with you,
rather than leaving it behind for prying eyes with prying tools.
Source : http://autos.yahoo.com
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