New “Commuter Crossroads” published in the Fredericksburg, Virginia, Free Lance–Star

Help Eliminate Auto Theft

By Steve Dunham

This appeared in the Fredericksburg Free Lance–Star on March 1, 2009, and is reproduced with permission.

How can you keep your car from being stolen? Lock it. The Virginia State Police say that “half of all vehicles stolen are left unlocked.” Almost one in five stolen vehicles has the keys left in it. The State Police HEAT (Help Eliminate Auto Theft) program has more suggestions, but locking vehicles tops the list. Even if the vehicle itself doesn’t get stolen, leaving it unlocked makes it easier for a thief to steal valuables, such as a purse in plain sight or a GPS device.

Once you’ve taken care of the obvious (lock unattended vehicles, even if they’re unattended for only a minute), what else can you do?

Here are some other simple (and free) ways to protect a car from theft:

• Park in well-lit areas. More than half of car thefts occur at night. “Thieves prefer to work under cover of darkness,” according to the HEAT fact sheet.
• Close your car windows all the way.
• Don’t leave anything valuable in view.
• Use the emergency brake when parking.
• If you have a garage, keep the car in it and lock both the car and the garage.
• If there’s a curb, park with your wheels turned toward the curb.

Permanently inscribe your car with its vehicle identification number (known as a VIN). Write it and your name and address with permanent marker under the hood or in the trunk. You can also get the VIN permanently etched into the windshield glass. Last year at Crime Prevention Day in Spotsylvania, the police offered this service free. (The windshield is one of the more expensive car parts to replace, so having your vehicle’s ID on the windshield creates a big expense—windshield replacement—for any would-be car thief.)

Hide business cards or address labels in the car to help prove your ownership if the vehicle is stolen. Business cards can be dropped down inside the doors next to the windows, and address labels can be attached under the floor mats or seats.

Never keep your title in the vehicle. It indicates proof of ownership. You don’t have to keep your registration in the glove compartment either (or even in the car); you just have to keep it with you while driving.

It may be worthwhile to invest in additional protection:

You could have an alarm installed. It attracts attention and buys time in an attempted car theft. “The longer it takes thieves to steal a vehicle, the more likely they are to be discouraged or caught,” says the HEAT fact sheet. But don’t get an alarm that’s overly sensitive. On several occasions I’ve been waiting at a train station and heard a car alarm go off every time a freight train went by and shook the ground. I wondered whether the car owner would have a dead battery by the end of the day.

You could get an anti-theft device installed to deter thieves. The police suggest using ignition cutoffs, fuel cutoffs, and steering wheel locks. Smart keys (which have a computer chip needed to start the vehicle) are expensive but efficient.

You could have a tracking system installed. If the vehicle is stolen, the signal from the device helps police find it.

Finally, the HEAT program has another way to stop car thieves: it offers rewards up to $25,000 for tips on auto theft, auto parts theft, chop-shop activity and carjacking. The HEAT hotline is 800-947-HEAT.

You can get more information on the HEAT program at www.heatreward.com or from the Virginia State Police, PO Box 27472, Richmond, Va., 23261-7472.

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