A recent article on Drive.com brings to general attention that modern cars are more difficult to be stolen thanks to their electronic security systems and therefore, car thieves are concentrating nowadays on older models which seem to be less protected.
A total of 16,502 cars were stolen in Germany in 2007, the German Insurance Company Federation in Berlin claims. When compared to the previous year, that means a 13 percent decrease. Obviously, the figures are encouraging but after taking a look on the list of the 15 most stolen vehicles, one can easily discover that there are only a few recent models that are preferred by the thieves. That being said, 11 out of 15 “favorites” are cars about ten years old, which says a lot about carjackers' latest preferences. Well, not exactly preferences but let's just say “easiness to steal”.
However, thieves are not in favor of German cars either since “the ones high up in the stolen car statistics are sought-after models abroad," said Hubert Paulus who works for the technical centre of Germany's giant ADAC car club in Landsberg in Bavaria.
The reasons backing this choice are simple: if a carjacker wants to steal a vehicle, a conventional theft prevention equipment won't deter him from his intention. But to be sure you got that right, by conventional equipment, we understand steering wheel lock or a device preventing the accelerator pedal or gearshift from being moved.
So, what to do?! Paulus suggests installing a more sophisticated car alarm. "A thief who targets an older vehicle will not assume that it has been retro-fitted with an upgraded alarm system," he said. More importantly, a hidden switch allowing the owner to cut off petrol flow before leaving the car seems to be another attractive solution.
Would it be so? Can only a sophisticated car alarm or a magic switch deter a thief from stealing your vehicle? We guess we have to wait and see...
Google News