KILL CAR THIEVES BY REMOTE CONTROL

KILL CAR THIEVES BY REMOTE CONTROL

If you have shopped for a new car or truck recently you might have been aghast when you saw the sale price. According to the most recent data the average cost of buying a new car in the USA hovers around $50,000. If you buy a new PU truck you will pay even more. The cost of a new full sized truck with all the latest technology is often over $60,000. Even used vehicles are very expensive these days. Second only to the purchase of a home, buying a new vehicle (or even a slightly used vehicle) is often the biggest investment anyone will make.

Vehicle Theft Keeps Getting Worse

Vehicle theft has always been a problem in the USA and worldwide. According to recent data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) motor vehicle theft in the United States increased by 28 percent from 2019 to 2023 and in 2023 (the last year for which the NICB released data) there were over ONE MILLION reported motor vehicle thefts. The national average for motor vehicle theft is over 300 individual incidents per 100,000 people with some areas of the USA having a much higher motor vehicle theft rate.

 

Why Be Concerned?

Some might feel that since their vehicle is insured against theft why worry about it? But the trauma of having your vehicle stolen can be much more than just discovering the vehicle gone and reporting it to the police and filing an insurance claim. Discovering that your vehicle was stolen is a distressing and expensive experience. You have to deal with your insurance company, try to get a rental car, and maybe spend money on taxis or rideshare services. If you were financing your vehicle and it is never recovered, or recovered with significant damage, the finance company may consider it a total loss. In this case the insurance will pay the actual cash value of the vehicle which in many cases is less than what is owed on the vehicle. You end up with a big financial loss.
Considering the huge cost of new and used vehicles and all the hassle and upheaval experienced when your vehicle is stolen, it only makes sense to take reasonable steps to PREVENT your valuable vehicle from being stolen.

All Security Must Be Reasonable

One can go to extremes when protecting assets and it is an old axiom in physical security that all security measures should be proportional to the risk. It doesn’t make sense to spend many thousands of dollars securing your vehicle if the risk of theft in your area is relatively low. But it might make sense if you live in an area where vehicle theft is significantly higher or increasing. For example, in my hometown of Portland Oregon where I work as a physical security consultant and private detective, there has been an explosive rise in vehicle thefts in recent years. Other high vehicle theft cities include Albuquerque, NM, Pueblo, CO, Seattle, WA. And even smaller cities like Billings MT and Yuba City CA have seen dramatic increases in vehicle thefts in recent years.

Here are some reasonable cost effective steps you can take to protect your vehicle which is one of your most valuable assets:

– Park your vehicle in the garage.
All would be wise to heed the advice I gave years ago in one of my previous articles titled: Tailgate Theft: Who Would’ve Thunk?
If you have a garage, get all the “junk” out of the garage and use it for the intended purpose and park your vehicle inside it. If you don’t have a garage parking your vehicle in a fenced off area or behind a gate is also sometimes a good option.

– Consciously Choose where to Park
Sometimes garage parking is not an option and parking spaces are limited and you just have to park wherever you can. But if you have a choice it is always best to park in a well-lit area of a parking lot or along a well-lit street. In commercial parking lots the closer to the building that you can park is usually best. Thieves are often attracted to vehicles parked at the far side of a parking lot where they can “hot-wire” a vehicle without a lot of people noticing them.

– Steering Wheel Locks
Steering wheel locking devices are considered “old-fashioned” and out of vogue these days but they are still an inexpensive and effective vehicle theft deterrent. In one of my previous articles titled: Steering Wheels Locking Devices – Do They Really Prevent Vehicle Theft? I offer my thoughts on the effectiveness of these devices. I must say that I recently purchased a new vehicle and I use “The Club” steering wheel lock every time I park it.

– Vehicle Ignition Kill Switch
For decades there have been manual battery cut-off switches that disconnected the vehicle battery from the vehicle’s starting system. These were simple manual switches connected to battery cables under the hood and were primarily used to prevent battery drain on vehicles like RV’s, ATV’s, etc. that were not driven often. You open the hood and flip the switch and all electricity flowing to the parked vehicle ceased. When you wanted to drive the vehicle again, you open the hood and flip the switch, turning on the electricity flowing from the battery to the vehicle starting system.
This is actually still a simple, inexpensive and effective anti-theft device because without electricity flowing from the battery to the vehicle, it will not start. If a thief “hot-wires” the vehicle ignition or just crams a screwdriver into the ignition, without battery “juice” the vehicle will not even crank. Sure, the thief could pop the hood and inspect the engine. If the thief noticed the battery cut off switch the thief could flip it on and then steal the vehicle, but most vehicle thieves are not that sophisticated and such an engine inspection to figure out why the vehicle won’t even “crank” takes time. Thieves like to do things quickly and make their get-a-way. If the vehicle won’t start, most thieves will just leave and go find another vehicle that is easier to steal.

– Vehicle Ignition Kill Switch with remote
Like the manual battery cut-off switch, cut-off switches with a key fob like remote control are now readily on the market for less than $100.00. They are easy to install and allows the driver to “cut-off” electricity flowing from the vehicle battery when parking the vehicle. They work the same as the manual cut-off switches except the driver just pushes a button on the fob to deactivate the battery. Then, when the driver wants to drive the vehicle again, the driver just pushes the button again to activate the electricity flow from the battery. This eliminates the need for the driver to open the hood and manually turn the battery cut-off switch on and off. This makes it more convenient.

– Vehicle Ignition Kill Switch with remote and GPS tracking
Technology continues to evolve rapidly and the idea of a vehicle “kill-switch” has also evolved. There are a number of engine Kill-switch devices that operate via a Smart phone App. Several of these also have GPS tracking built in. It is always best to take steps to DETER and PREVENT thieves, but if you have taken these simple and inexpensive steps and your vehicle still gets stolen, with these Apps you have the ability to track the vehicle in real-time. You can then call the police and give them up-to-the-minute information as to where the vehicle is. Hopefully, the police will be able to locate your car and possibly even arrest the perpetrators.

Some of these Apps even have a Geo Fence so that if your vehicle moves outside of your designated “fence” you will be automatically notified and many are affordable and sell for under $200.00. Installation can often be relatively easy but if you are mechanically inept (like me) you might want to have your local mechanic install them. The downside of these GPS tracking kill-switches is that they do require a monthly user subscription fee but many will find the service worth it.

Conclusions

With vehicle theft becoming an ever increasing problem it should not be ignored. Because vehicles are one of your most valuable assets everyone should take reasonable measures to deter and prevent their vehicle from becoming another statistic. While many will be attracted to the technology offered by remote controlled kill switches and GPS tracking, being conscious about where you park and religiously using “old-fashioned” steering wheel locking devices, can be very inexpensive and effective in preventing vehicle theft.

George W. Babnick, is a 34 year law enforcement veteran with an extensive background in physical security, criminal and administrative investigations, training, school policing, supervision and management, and criminal forensics. He retired as a Captain in the Portland Oregon Police Bureau where he managed the Training, School Police, and Forensic Evidence Divisions. He holds criminal justice degrees from Portland Community College and Portland State University and a law degree from Northwestern California University School of Law, Sacramento California. Mr. Babnick is a longtime member of the Western Society of Criminology and is the author of articles on security and law enforcement, investigations, supervision and management, and risk management related to these subjects. As a physical security expert, George Babnick provides private physical security consultations across the United States and consults with clients outside the United States. He specializes in assessing security problems for small and medium businesses as well as select individuals. He offers independent, honest advice and expertise, with the goal of providing all clients with practical and cost-effective security solutions to enhance security and effectively manage business and personal security risks. Mr. Babnick is also a licensed Private Investigator and conducts investigations for attorneys, businesses, and individuals throughout the State of Oregon. To learn more about security consultation and investigative services offered, please visit http://babnickandassociates.com Disclaimer: Nothing in any article on this blog should be construed as legal advice. Persons seeking legal advice should seek the counsel of an attorney licensed in their state.