With increasing sophistication and falling prices, an anti-theft devices have become as common an automobile accessory as a radio or air conditioner.
For many car owners, the question has become which device to choose. In the last few years, there has been a growing number of anti-theft products, available for as little as $50 up to thousands of dollars.
According to law enforcement and insurance officials, any anti-theft device is a good choice.
“Anything you invest in is going to be a deterrent,” says Ed Sparkman, senior manager of Vehicle Support for the National Insurance Crime Bureau in Palos Hills, an industry group that focuses on vehicle theft and insurance fraud.
“The old axiom of `if a car thief really wants your car, he’s going to get it’ is true to a point,” he adds. “At the same time, it’s to your advantage to make your car more difficult to get. The longer it takes a thief to steal the car, the less likely he will take it.”
Car theft totals close to $7.5 billion annually, making it the largest type of property crime in the U.S. A vehicle is stolen every 19 seconds, according to the FBI, and there’s about a 30 percent chance of retrieving it in good condition.
Generally, sports and luxury cars, as well as sport-utility vehicles, are high on the hit list. Some cars, such as certain models of the Suzuki Sidekick, are 6 1/2 times more likely to be stolen than the average automobile, according to the Arlington, Va.-based Highway Loss Data Institute.
Vehicles with the lowest theft rates are passenger vans, station wagons and midsize four-door cars.
Most anti-theft devices are added on to a car after it is purchased. More and more vehicles, however, are rolling off the assembly line with anti-theft devices built in. This trend was once limited to high-end imports such as Mercedes-Benz or BMW. Now the devices are standard–or available for a small cost–in more mainstream cars.
The growth in types of devices means different ways to stop thieves, officials say. In fact, anti-theft gadgets work so well law enforcement officials attribute the increase in carjackings to the effectiveness of the devices– thieves are finding parked cars harder to steal.
Another reason to consider a device is insurance savings.
“State law now requires a discount on the comprehensive part of your auto insurance if you have an anti-theft device,” says Gerard Ramker, program director for the Illinois Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Council, a state agency funded by the insurance industry.
“These discounts can vary from 10 to 15 percent for individual devices or up to 25 percent for combined devices.”
So, an anti-theft device can pay for itself in a few years, depending on your insurance rates and where you live, adds Ramker.
Cost usually determines the type of anti-theft device a car owner picks, says Sgt. Jim Henderson of the Chicago Police Department’s Preventive Programs Section.
“What you choose depends on your pocketbook and how much you value the car,” he says. “Obviously, there are some pricier cars more likely than others to be stolen. If you could afford it, those cars call out for more protection and more sophisticated protection.
“However, if you’re broke because you just bought a new car, then a low-cost steering wheel-locking device is still a good investment,” he adds.
Law enforcement and insurance officials talk about anti-theft devices in terms of “layers.”
– The first layer is the most economical: Common sense.
“That means parking your car in a well-lit area, locking your doors, not leaving the keys in your car and not leaving a running car unattended,” says Henderson.
– The second layer of defense is low-cost locking devices, commonly known as The Club or The Boa or Nightstick.
Typically, these are mechanical devices that lock over a car’s steering wheel or ignition switch, making the vehicle inoperable if a thief breaks in.
The latest versions of these devices include motion and shock sensors that activate strobe lights or alarms if tampered with.
Many locking devices start at less than $50 and usually cost no more than $100. Another advantage is that they require no installation and fit any vehicle.
They are also highly visible. “Thieves can see them from a mile away and if your car is in a shopping mall, a criminal may pass your car up to find one without a locking device,” says Henderson.
A downside is that not everyone likes the look of a locking device. And they’re also harder to engage than a push-button or automatic alarm. “As a result, people get complacent with them as they think they’re only going to be in the store for a minute, which is more than enough time to steal a car,” says Sparkman. “Eventually, they quit using it.”
In addition, locking devices are not invulnerable. “Any device made by man can be unmade by another man,” says Henderson. “If given enough time, a thief can spray a freezing agent into the lock and pop it. Or they can saw through it.”
Cars with a locking device also can be started and driven up a flatbed truck. “So the important thing is to turn your wheels all the way to the left or right–as if you’re parking on a hill–before you engage the locking device,” says Henderson.
“That way, if a thief does start the car, he can’t even turn it out of the parking spot.”
Another economical anti-theft device is a cut-off or engine-disabling switch, a hidden relay that makes the car inoperable. It comes in the form of a toggle or a small chip that slides into a slot under the dash. Others are controlled by punching a password into a panel.
The switches cut off power to the ignition or to the starter’s electronics, giving the effect that the car’s battery is dead or the vehicle is out of gas.
And the devices are getting more sophisticated.
The Interrupter from TWA Enterprises in Maryland, for example, works like a cut-off switch. It will not allow your car to start until a quarter-sized disc is passed over a hidden sensor unit. You then have 60 seconds to start your car before the sensor again cuts off the ignition. Even a thief with your car keys cannot start your vehicle.
Other versions of the cut-off switch include GM’s Pass Key and Ford’s PATS systems. With those systems, a microchip is embedded into the ignition key. The car won’t start without that key so the vehicle can’t be hot-wired.
But cut-off switches aren’t a visible deterrent so a thief may damage a door and/or a steering column breaking into your car. And because there’s a limited number of hiding places, a thief might find the switch and wire around it.
– Alarms, the next layer, are also a popular choice.
The first car alarms were fairly basic safeguards: If someone opened a door, trunk or hood when the alarm was activated, a siren would go off.
Today’s alarms are much more sophisticated, activating not only if the car is opened but also if it’s moved. Some alarms also use motion sensors and radar to determine movement inside or outside of the car.
Alarms can activate the car’s horn, issue a vocal warning to back away from the vehicle, chirp, flash the car’s headlights, cut off the car’s ignition switch or fill the interior with a dense, non-toxic smoke. Certain units can also be programmed to page you if they go off.
Most alarms can be activated with a remote control device that doubles as a key chain. The more sophisticated remotes allow you to unlock the car doors from a distance as you approach, turn on the car’s lights or even start the engine and turn on the heater or air conditioner.
Alarms range in price from $100 for a do-it-yourselfer to more
than $1,000 for all the bells and whistles.
The upside of alarms is their ease of use. Most usually are activated with the push of a button. With a flashing dashboard activation light and a window sticker, an alarm can also be a visible deterrent though not as obvious as a steering wheel lock.
The downside, says Henderson, is they suffer from a “boy who cried wolf” syndrome. “Unfortunately, they go off so often by mistake that the public doesn’t pay much attention to them,” he says.
Henderson recommends an alarm with an automatic ignition cut-off switch to prevent a thief from getting away.
A step up from alarm systems are tracking devices, such as LoJack.
The experts, however, stress that these are not true anti-theft devices. “While these devices have very high success rates, the idea here is to locate a car that’s already been stolen,” says Ramker.
Tracking devices start at about $750. When you purchase a unit, a transmitter is hidden in your car. If the car is stolen, the transmitter is activated and police track the vehicle with special equipment.
The downside is “that not all police departments have the technology to track down a stolen car,” says Ramker. “That’s not a problem around Chicago, but it can be in a rural area.”
Most of these items are available through auto parts stores, car dealers to stereo installations shops.
