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(ARA) - Every time you park your car, you are taking a risk.
Just ask David J.of Stanford, Conn. His 1998 high-performance Acura Integra Type
R was stolen right under his nose just one month after he installed a
top-of-the-line security system for $1,500.
"I bought the most expensive alarm you can think of," says David, who declined
to reveal his last name for fear of alerting thieves. The electronic security
system had proximity sensors, air horns, keyless entry to arm and disarm the
alarm system while locking or opening the vehicle, and a "kill switch" to
disable the ignition. In addition, David purchased two steering wheel locks as
added insurance.
"I live in a gated condominium complex, and my window is right over the parking
space, but I didn't hear a thing," recalls David. The next morning, the only
sign of his car were tire tracks in the newly fallen snow. Police found it three
weeks later, stripped clean.
David's experience is not unusual, says James Cooper, CEO of Ultimate Security
Systems Corporation of Irvine, Calif. Despite manufacturers' claims to the
contrary, most security systems are easy to overpower and hardly even slow down
a professional thief.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (www.nicb.org) reports 1.1 million vehicles
stolen nationwide each year. That's one vehicle every 25 seconds in what has
become a $7.5 billion-a-year-industry, according to the Insurance Information
Institute (www.iii.org), a trade organization. It's an industry, moreover,
dominated by organized auto-theft rings that steal cars to fill contract orders.
And no wonder: A $20,000 stolen vehicle can be stripped and sold into $30,000
worth of parts, insurers say.
How to get Cheap Auto Insurance Rates
Your car doesn't have to be a high-performance vehicle like
David J's to be an attractive target for a thief with a list of parts, or with
orders for a particular make and model of a car. Different models of the popular
Toyota Camry and Honda Accord swept eight of the top 10 list of cars reported
stolen in 2000, according to an annual study conducted by CCC Information
Services Inc., a Chicago-based supplier of software and communications systems
to auto insurers. Chevrolet and Ford pickups captured the other two slots. |
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Brett Ploumen didn't have a security system on his 1992 Chevrolet Astrovan.
But he thought he was taking appropriate precautions by parking in
well-lighted, high-traffic areas and locking his vehicle's doors and
windows.
Ploumen found out differently in June when he went to dinner with friends
at a busy neighborhood strip mall in Santa Ana, Calif. "When we returned,
the Astrovan wasn't there. There was broken glass on the ground and
another vehicle in the parking place," he recalls.
"Three days later they found it, wrapped in a tarp on a side street. The
entire front end of the car was gone -- it had essentially been turned
into a trailer, and a beat-up trailer at that. When I saw it I was sick to
my stomach instantly," says Ploumen.
Some popular devices
Cooper describes some of the most popular auto security devices, and the
drawbacks that allow thieves to get around them:
* Bar or wheel locks: Steering wheel bars lock up the steering wheel;
wheel locks prevent the theft of wheels and tires. How to get around them:
All it takes is a pair of bolt cutters or a hacksaw. "They saw through the
steering wheel, slide off the bar lock and hot-wire the car. It takes
anywhere from 15-30 seconds," Cooper says.
* Audible alarms: Known in the industry as "nuisance alarms," these alerts
are intended to scare thieves away. How to get around them: Audible alarms
are almost universally ignored. Additionally, a professional thief can cut
a wire and silence the alarm in seconds.
* Pedal locks: This device locks the brakes. How to get around them: They
can be bridged or cut in 15-60 seconds.
* Electronic immobilizing devices: A variety of devices are designed to
disconnect all power from the starter, preventing thieves from bypassing
the ignition and hot-wiring the vehicle. They can be installed at the
factory or purchased as an aftermarket item. How to get around them:
Seasoned thieves dismantle these systems or wire around them in seconds,
usually by cutting two wires. Additionally, thieves easily find override
or valet switches used by owners to disarm the systems.
* Tracking systems: These devices transmit a radio signal to locate the
car. How to get around them: Tracking devices can be removed at a chop
shop before a theft is reported. Or the car can be stripped and dumped
before the owner finds out it's been stolen.
* Solenoid immobilizer systems: Although categorized as an immobilizer,
this kind of system is based on a different principle than most electronic
security systems. PowerLock is one example. It attaches permanently to the
vehicle's starter motor, where it effectively prevents hot-wiring. Once
installed, such a system is impossible to remove, bypass or disable. How
to get around this system: "It can't be hot-wired," says Cooper. "A system
like this is virtually impossible to circumvent. The only way to steal a
car protected by such a system is to tow it away."
Personal Security
Cooper also warns consumers to be aware of what their security system can
and can't do. "A lot of so-called security systems consist of remote entry
and flashing lights. A lot of people think of that as automobile security,
and it really isn't: It's a convenience feature. Some manufacturers are
beginning to recognize that, and label it as ‘personal security.'"
After his nightmare experience, Ploumen is an evangelist for adding a
security system to your car. "Look into some kind of aftermarket security
system," he advises consumers. "Find something you feel comfortable with
-- and that's proven."
Ploumen has researched the security field thoroughly since his van was
stolen. He briefly considered a brake lock, but decided it wasn't
practical. He chose Ultimate Security Systems' Powerlock after a friend
told him about it.
David J. also purchased a Powerlock system after replacing his Acura
Integra Type R. "I came across it on the Internet. It was not expensive,
so I said, ‘why not give it a try?'" He added three additional layers of
security with brake and pedal locks, plus a tracking system.
David became a would-be victim again in August. This time, though, his
story has a happy ending. The scofflaws pried the door open with a "Slim
Jim," bent the clutch pedal sideways to circumvent the AutoLock, then
broke the ignition switch in an attempt to hot wire the car. When
PowerLock circumvented that effort, they tried rolling the car down a
nearby hill to pop the clutch. That didn't work, either, so they abandoned
the car. The tracking system helped authorities recover the car a short
time later.
For more information, contact the Ultimate Security Systems Corporation,
18271 West McDurmott, Suite F, Irvine, CA 92614; (800) 689-8004, or visit
powerlock.com.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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