Protecting vehicle against theft should be a priority to every car owner. Vehicles are locked and porous without conscious efforts for further fortification. From towing & loading, hot wiring electrical manipulation; to manual key picking, on-board diagnostics (OBD) key cloning and relay attack (the latest one) vehicles appear to be tilting towards less security each day.
Criminals apparently seem to be ahead of many vehicle security controls. With no sense of indictment, vehicle manufacturers are conscious of this fact. However, there is a need for a more kind of defense-in-depth approach to securing vehicles against theft and saving owners from the trauma of losing these costly assets.
Vehicles are pricey assets which in most situations take a lot of planning to acquire. It makes sense to ensure it is protected against theft and other threats. Threats against vehicles are as old as the automobile industry itself. Of all these threats; theft appears to be common and most worrisome.
Vehicles are parked at owners’ risk is a popular disclaimer signage (that is, caution) used by facility owners to absolve themselves from direct and vicarious liability over threats against vehicles. Within our local communities, urban cities and trans-border areas tales abound about vehicle theft using various means by criminal elements.
The annual value of stolen vehicles across countries and regions varies depending on factors such as vehicle technology, location, type of vehicles, trends in vehicle preference, socio-economic issues, effectiveness of law enforcement efforts and awareness of vehicle owners. Furthermore, the global value of stolen vehicles is estimated to be in billions of dollars annually. In the United States in the year 2020, over 810, 000 vehicles were reported stolen. This is up from above 700, 000 vehicles reported in 2019. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reported that the value of value of property losses due to vehicle theft that occurred in 2020 was estimated at over seven billion US dollars. Again, this increased from 2019 which was approximately about six billion, four hundred million US dollars. In the European Union (EU), about five hundred and five thousand vehicles were reported stolen in 2019.
It is essential to note that the above stats may fluctuate from year to year due to changes in crime rates, economic conditions, and other factors. Other States with vital crime statistics may be higher, lower or hover around the same figure with the United States of America and the EU. A thieving “industry” valued at above figures in a single year must elicit concern from those impacted by it. Hence, the need for information such as provided in this article.
Vehicle Security should start the moment the desire and the resources to purchase it are available. This article is written for both vehicle owners and intended vehicle owners. It provides information on already available tools, ways and means of protecting vehicles against theft and how to consciously plan and secure vehicles against the threat. The excitement of having a vehicle must also extend to securing it. Otherwise, such excitement may suffer upset and become short-lived due to acts of crime from underworld criminals who promote pain and derive joy in the pain of others. Factors that mostly affect vehicle security include manufacturing technology, other advanced technology, law enforcement, and public awareness.
This article is written as a knowledge contribution to public awareness. See below; twelve recommended tools and guidelines to further secure your vehicle against theft.
1. Ensure there is baseline security in the environment where the vehicle is parked.
2. Lock vehicle doors, windows and trunk at all times whenever it is stationary.
3. Lock vehicle steering, and/or brake, accelerator, tire whenever it is on stationary.
4. Engrave vehicle identification number (VIN) or vehicle registration number on some parts of the body parts; example, side mirrors, windscreen, etc.
5. Retrieve vehicle particulars from it whenever it is parked in location with fluid security.
6. Get comprehensive insurance cover for the vehicle.
7. Install smart telematic tracker to track vehicle’s location.
8. Install smart remote starter to start and off the vehicle from a near distance.
9. Install smart vehicle alarm to call attention to it whenever it is threatened.
10. Install smart immobilizer to turn off the engine and stop the vehicle from further movement.
11. Install smart kill switch to stop vehicle keys from completing its function and preventing it from starting.
12. Keep vehicle keys in Faraday box or pouch to prevent them from sending signals each time. This is applicable only to keyless starter vehicles.
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Azubuike Nwenewo
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