 How long did you have to wait last time you needed some new keys for your car? A couple of days? An hour? Ten minutes? For your average professional car thief, it takes only two minutes to deactivate a car alarm system, make a new set of keys and drive away. That's for your old fashioned sort of car.
I guess because thieves don't have so much time on their hands nowadays, car security has now become electronic and computerised. Fancy cars are now keyless, so now stealing a car and transferring it's ownership can be done in less than 15 seconds by someone equipped with just a laptop and the right bit of software. The latest, by the way, can be bought online as well.
In fact, when gathering information for this article, it took me less than ten minutes to find a real life (very active) car theft forum, where I very quickly learned what ninja rods were and how to make my own using spark plugs. There's even a few tutorials on Youtube. Hot wiring (putting wires together to start the engine, as seen in many movies), frosting (stealing a car while its owner is letting it run to warm it up in the winter), ATM shopping (owner leaves the car with key on to quickly get cash), slim-jimming... There's a whole vocabulary out there that I had never imagined. And people say that today's kids aren't good with words...
With 36,000 vehicles stolen in 2006, costing $110 million every year and the police recovering only about 20% of the total, grand theft auto is a real and present issue for the nation. As pointed out by the AA:
“It's not only the owners of stolen cars that suffer. All motorists end up paying higher insurance premiums to cover the cost. Valuable Police resources also get tied up tracking down thieves.”
According to NZ Police, the most common type of car thief nowadays is the Joyrider. This individual is only interested in your car until he can dump it somewhere, usually with considerable damage done to it. The vehicle is usually abandoned the same day. Because the preferred vehicles are of the sportier type and this particular kind of thief does not want to spend too much time gaining access, it is particularly important that you never leave that type of car unlocked and unattended, at any time (especially not with the keys in it!)
A professional thief is one that will steal a car with the purpose of reselling it after alterations. These being the most skilled and equipped, it is very difficult to completely protect your car from them. Your best option is to avoid car theft hot spots and use a proper alarm and immobilisation system (keeping in mind that these too, can be overridden). Owning a car that is not popular amongst thieves is also a good protection.
If you own a Nissan Silvia, watch out - a survey has found it to be the most frequently stolen car for the third consecutive year. Nissan NZ managing director John Manley said yesterday: "We are thrilled that drivers recognise our product for its styling, its performance, but we'd prefer it if they'd acquire them legitimately."
The Nissan Silvia is followed by the Honda Torneo, the Nissan Skyline and various models of Subaru (1)
The property thief is one that is not interested in your car itself but in the stuff that they have seen inside it. Locking and hiding things away is your best protection (or even better, take it with you if you can). Don't leave your car parked at a far corner of the lot after purchasing your big flat screen TV and surround system is also a good rule of thumb.
New Zealand Police has put together some very useful information and advice to help you prevent car theft, with some easy tips that I found quite good myself: http://www.police.govt.nz/safety/car.crime.html
The AA and Tower Insurance also have some good advice to give, as it is in their best interest to do so:
- AA tips
- Tower tips
As technology develops, thieves as well, become more and more savvy. That's the bad news. The good news is that to prevent your car from being stolen, the best methods are the good old fashioned ones, which cost nothing but a bit of common sense.
(1) Car Thieves top 10: 1 Nissan Silvia , 2 Honda Torneo , 3 Nissan Skyline , 4 Subaru Impreza , 5 Subaru Forester , 6 Subaru Legacy , 7 Nissan Presea , 8 Honda Prelude , 9 Honda Integra , 10 Nissan Cefiro
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There is a way to keep them away