Summer is hot, and not just because of the weather: It also happens to be the hottest season of the year for vehicle theft with July and August ranking as the highest months for theft, according to National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).
Moreover, the national rate of vehicles stolen and not recovered is at its highest point in more than 20 years, with sophisticated thieves making a big business out of vehicle theft.
There were an estimated 699,594 thefts of motor vehicles nationwide in 2013, and in the U.S. one vehicle is stolen every 45.1 seconds. These are scary statistics for any vehicle owner! To help drivers keep their vehicles--cars, trucks, motorcycles and even construction equipment--safe from theft while they are on the road this summer, LoJack Corporation and the NICB are embarking on their annual education initiative, which kicks off each July during "National Vehicle Theft Protection Month."
Today's exceedingly high rate of never-recovered stolen vehicles is due in large part to the fact that professional thieves are behind the majority of today's vehicle thefts. Today's thieves know just what vehicles to steal (typically, the most common sedans, SUVs and trucks on the road) and how to get around anti-theft devices. They can outsmart smart keys and disengage everything from fuel cut-off systems to alarms to wheel locks.
Don't make it easy for thieves to steal your car. LoJack offers the following suggestions to help owners protect their vehicles from theft:
Step 1: Use Common-Sense Measures
- Never leave keys in the vehicle with the engine running
- Don’t hide a spare key in the vehicle
- Close all windows and lock all doors when leaving your vehicle
- Park in a well-lit area and when at home, keep your vehicle in the garage
- Don’t leave valuables in your car, particularly those items that include information on your identity
- Don’t program your home address in your GPS system under “Home” as it could lead thieves right to your house, and if you have a garage door clicker in the car, they have an easy way to get inside. Instead, program your home address under another name.
Step 2: Use Theft Prevention Products
Visible and audible warning devices like a wheel lock or alarm system are good deterrents. Immobilizers—which include smart keys, kill switches, and fuel cut-off devices—can offer another means of protection.
Step 3: Use a Tracking and Recovery System, like a LoJack® Stolen Vehicle Recovery System
Since thieves can disarm theft prevention devices and factory-installed telematics systems, a LoJack® Stolen Vehicle Recovery System provides you with peace of mind that you stand a better chance of getting your car back—often quickly—in the event it’s stolen. The LoJack® System is directly integrated with law enforcement, uses Radio Frequency technology (proven to be effective for recovering stolen vehicles), and is covert, making it hard for thieves to find and disengage. There are other vehicle recovery systems besides the one offered by LoJack, however. To learn about the others, Edmunds.com also offers a very thorough review of many vehicle recovery systems on the market today.
from Ask Patty - Automotive Advice for Women http://ift.tt/29dGih6
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