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New car theft rates down across Canada

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Alex Law
Thanks mostly toadvances in immobilizer technology, the theft rate for newer, insured vehicleshas fallen quickly to record lows across Canada in recent years, but whathasn't changed is the criminals' ability to steal something they really want.

An executive atLojack made this point most vividly a few years ago, explaining in an interviewabout a wealthy man who had been considering the firm's radio frequency-based theftrecovery technology for the classic car he kept at his Florida home.

Having this car shackledto two palm trees (one chain at the front, the other at the rear) ought todiscourage any thief, the car owner figured, so he took a pass on the Lojackequipment.

A few weekslater, the man was back on the phone with the Lojack salesman, begging to havethe system installed right away. After he'd promised to look after it, theLojack man asked what had caused this change of heart.

It seems thatwhen the Floridaman looked out the window one morning to check on the car, it was still thereand firmly chained to the palm trees, but it was facing the opposite direction.Someone had removed the chains, turned the car around, chained it back up, andleft a note on the windshield.

''When we wantit,'' this neatly written missive advised, ''we'll come and get it.''

This reality isstill unfortunately true, even with the immobilizing devices that stop carsfrom starting without the precise key. Thieves have simply taken to stealingthe key, through housebreaking, pocket or purse picking, by lifting the valetkey when the car is parked by an attendant, or having a confederate at adealership make a copy.

Or, they justlift the vehicle onto a truck and drive it away. Chains and steering wheelattachments and stuff like that just slows them down a little.

If the vehicle'snew and currently fashionable (say a luxury SUV), the chances of the rightfulowner seeing it again in Canada are slim, though they might get behind it intraffic in Europe, Asia or even Africa.

While they'renot as attractive to foreign buyers, older vehicles without immobilizers aregood news for the huge industry that recycles stolen parts because they're somuch easier to steal.

With more oldcars being stolen, the chances of your new vehicle disappearing has reached newlows, according to Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) statistics. Thosestatistics also show that where you live can have a significant affect on thechances of your car being stolen.

According to IBCfigures, the number of theft claims per 100 insured vehicles across Canada fell to0.93 in 2003, from 1.00 in 2002 and 1.12 in 2001.

Makingcomparisons farther back is tricky, the IBC says, because the organizationchanged the way it keeps track of the numbers. But if you look at the firm's www.ibc.ca website and check out the How CarsMeasure Up pages, it looks like the incidence of theft claims for insured carsis about half of what it was in 1994.

This does notmean car thefts are half of what they were then, however. Indeed, according to www.statscan.ca, the number of reportedthefts per 100,000 Canadians was 530.8 in 1999, 522.4 in 2000, 543.5 in 2001,516.3 in 2002, and 540.7 in 2003.

But for peoplewho own cars with competent immobilizers, this is a big improvement.
Alex Law
Alex Law
Automotive expert