Summer is prime time for car thieves

Let’s be honest. If a crook really wants your vehicle, he’s going to get it. Even a loud alarm and a steering wheel lock won’t stop a determined pro.

“There’s nothing that can’t be defeated,” says Robert Painter, an auto-theft investigator and author of Auto Theft: Let the Truth Be Known. The best you can do, Painter says, is to make your vehicle a less tempting target and more inconvenient to steal than another vehicle parked nearby.

Don’t leave any valuables or a spare key inside. Some manufacturers put a spare key in the glove compartment or the owner’s manual. Look for that spare key and get it out of the car.

Use a variety of anti-theft devices to make your vehicle more of a challenge to a would-be thief, whether amateur or professional.

“You want to cost him time. That’s a thief’s worst problem – time,” Painter says. “If he tries to get the car running and he can’t, he’s not going to screw around and stay there. He’s going to go to the next car.”

You do that by having layers of protection. These would include an alarm, visible steering wheel locking device, and hidden “kill switch” that keeps the engine from being hot-wired.

The Highway Data Loss Institute says one of the best deterrents you can have is a factory-installed engine immobilizer, a system that won’t let the car start without the proper key. “We’ve found that typically they reduce insurance losses by 50 percent,” says institute spokesman Russ Rader.

These immobilizers are now standard on many models and are optional on many others.

To combat vehicle theft, Canada will require all new cars, vans, SUVs, and light trucks built after Sept. 1 to have immobilizers. On that date, the province of Manitoba will also require owners of vehicles considered most at risk for theft to install immobilizers before they can renew their registration and insurance. Manitoba Public Insurance will provide the device and help pay for the installation.

The bottom line
No matter what you do to that vehicle, you are not going to make it completely secure. Windows can be smashed, locks can be popped, and electronic keys can be cloned. Of course, any vehicle can be towed.

“You can steal or move a car with a tow truck with a wheel lift in less than a minute,” Painter says. “I have it on video. And there is nothing you can do to prevent that.”

That’s why you never leave anything of value in your car. When you come back, your wallet, MP3 player, portable GPS device, even your car, may not be there.

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