5 Ways to Prevent Vehicle Theft
According to a recent survey, a vehicle is stolen every 26.4 seconds in the United States.
Within the last two months, my family has known of at least three people who have had their cars stolen, either right out of their driveway or from within a community parking lot. All three relayed the same basic story: They got up in the morning, got dressed and headed out the front door to go to work only to discover that their car was gone. None of these people have ever met and they all live within 3 miles of one another. Do we have an auto theft ring in our area? Who knows, but it’s pretty scary and downright violating, to say the least. So far, none of the cars have been found or returned.
According to a recent law enforcement survey conducted in May during auto theft investigation conferences and task force meetings, and which was completed by over 150 law enforcement professionals in 14 states - including police officers, members of the Department of Justice and district attorneys - they reported that the increasing factor behind vehicle theft is the economic downturn:
According to the survey, nearly 70 percent of law enforcement professionals who responded indicated that today’s challenging economy appears to be an increasing dynamic contributing to vehicle theft. Those who said they were witnessing a rise in stolen vehicle activity as a result of the economy cited fraud (including identity theft, smart key duplication, demolition, insurance fraud), the theft of specific makes and models-especially SUVs, and theft for scrap metal as underlying reasons. A full 76 percent of respondents indicated that chop shops, which are run by professional thieves, were a key factor in driving vehicle theft overall.
If someone really wants to steal your vehicle, they’ll find a way, but why make it easy for them? Below are 5 easy ways you can attempt to prevent vehicle theft:
• Never leave valuables inside the car in plain view
• Never leave a running vehicle unattended
• Never leave keys inside the vehicle or on the vehicle
• Never leave the windows down or vehicle doors unlocked when parked
• Keep luggage and purses in the trunk and out of sight
Can you suggest other ways to prevent auto theft?
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DataDots have been tested by insurance and Government agencies world-wide as to their theft deterrent capabilities. In vehicle applications theft reduction rates have been shown as high as 90% for manufactures like Subaru, BMW and Holden Special Vehicles.
In the spring of 2007, the Taiwanese and New Zealand governments introduced a mandatory, “Whole of Vehicle Marking” program on all new vehicles, (WOVM, in Canada it is referred to as Parts Marking in Canada). The European Union and Australia are also considering similar legislation.
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In Canada, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators has also recognized DataDot Technology as a best practice for theft prevention. The Insurance Bureau of Canada has also identified “parts marking” as a proven theft deterrent against professional thieves and endorses a layered approach to theft deterrence.
Worldwide it has been demonstrated in many situations that thieves will move on to unmarked assets rather than attempt to steal highly traceable assets. Many of our clients report significant theft reduction rates across a wide range of applications.
The DataDot system is one of the most effective loss prevention and theft deterrent programs currently available. Our technology is always evolving and the introduction of DataTraceDNA has added another level of protection.
In addition to DataDot Technology theft deterrence is established by:
Internal and external communication.
Use of warning stickers to highlight that an item or area is marked.
International database and registration.
High level of asset identification and traceability.
General Education and internal Corporate awareness programs.
Police awareness and no high tech equipment required to read DataDot.
The above factors ensure that the chance of a thief stealing your items being caught red-handed with the items or having re-sold those items, escalates considerably. By simply elevating the chance of being caught, drives the theft deterrence. Police only need to find one dot to prove ownership and make an arrest.
[...] few weeks ago, I wrote “5 Ways to Prevent Vehicle Theft†and in doing so, mentioned that three people I know have all had their cars stolen within the [...]
[...] For more ways to prevent vehicle theft, check out this Cars for Girls article, 5 Ways to Prevent Vehicle