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Think Your Car is Safe from Thieves? Think
Again
by: ARA Content
(ARA) - Every time you park your car, you're taking a risk.
Just ask David J. of Stanford, Conn., whose 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.
Mother's Day is a long-held tradition of revering the woman who gives the gift
of life.
"Mothering Sunday" is another early Mother's Day tradition that has shaped the
way we celebrate our mothers today. This English holiday dates back to the
1600s, and involved young servants who pampered their mothers with fine
delicacies. While we continue to celebrate the mother figure in modern America,
it is most often with traditional gifts of flowers and cards. But if Mother's
Day is indeed about the most personal sentiment and respect for a mother, a gift
of gratitude should warm their hearts forever.
Car was tyre tracks in the newly fallen snow.
"They found it three weeks later, stripped clean," he added.
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, said Cooper, whose firm created and markets the PowerLock
anti-theft system.
Every 25 seconds
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (www.nicb.org) reports that 1.1 million
vehicles are 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.
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.
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 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," Ploumen recalled.
"Three days later they found it, wrapped in a tarp on a side street," he said.
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 he saw it, "I was sick to my
stomach instantly," Ploumen said.
Some popular devices
Cooper describes some of the most popular auto security devices, and the
drawbacks that allow thieves to get around them:
1. 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 said.
2. 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.
3. Pedal locks: This device locks the brakes.
How to get around them: They can be bridged or cut in 15-60 seconds.
4. Electronic immobilizing devices: These 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.
5. 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.
6. 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 them: It can't be hot-wired, says Cooper. "A system like this
is virtually impossible to circumvent," he says. 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 the capacity of their security
system. "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 thought,
''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 a few months later. This time, though, his
story has a happy ending. The thieves 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 USSC, 17173 Gillette Avenue, Suite 5, Irvine,
Calif. 92614; (800) 231-7131, or visit www.powerlock.com.
About The Author
Courtesy ARA Content, www.ARAcontent.com; e-mail: info@ARAcontent.com
EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information, contact Emily Curci, Hilary Kaye
Associates, (714) 426-0444, ecurci@hkamarcom.com.
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