FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

INDEX


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why does Australia have such a high rate of motor vehicle theft?
Australia has an entrenched culture of vehicle theft and one of the highest rates of vehicle theft in the western world. While there is no one identifiable reason for our nation's unacceptably high level of theft, there are a range of contributing factors.

These include:

  • the high proportion of older vehicles on our roads that have little or no security features;
  • the ease with which whole vehicles and components have traditionally been absorbed by the black market;
  • gaps - albeit, ever decreasing ones - in the exchange of information between registration authorities and police nationally; and
  • some major misconceptions concerning the scale and nature of vehicle theft within the motoring population.


How many cars are stolen in Australia?
Last year in Australia more than 85,000 vehicles were stolen. This equates to 235 vehicles stolen each day, or nearly one theft for every 150 vehicles registered. More than half of stolen vehicles were manufactured in the 1980s.

Click here for more vehicle theft statistics.


Who steals cars and why?
Many people think highly organised and skilled gangs are responsible for most car theft. In Australia however around three quarters of stolen cars are taken by opportunistic thieves - often young males - for joyriding, to commit another crime or simply to get somewhere.

Opportunistic thieves rely on finding older vehicles that have ineffective security, most of which are stolen using very basic tools such as a coat-hanger and screwdriver. Australian Standards approved engine immobilisers offer the best protection for older vehicles against this type of theft.

Although most cars stolen by opportunistic thieves are recovered again, they are usually found with substantial collision damage, interior damage or burnt out. All too often erratically driven stolen cars have caused accidents in which the thief or innocent bystanders have been seriously injured or killed.


What cars are most stolen?
Vehicles that are ten years or older are the most vulnerable to theft as they tend to lack effective security and can often be stolen using very basic tools. This makes these vehicles desirable to opportunists - often young males - for joyriding, to commit another crime or simply to get somewhere.

Last year just under half of Australia's registered vehicle fleet was aged ten years or older however these vehicles accounted for more nearly three quarters of the nation's thefts. Vehicles manufactured in the 1980s alone accounted for over half of all thefts, with early model Commodores and Falcons proving particularly attractive targets to opportunists.

Newer model vehicles are stolen in lower numbers as advances in security technology over the last ten years have provided a much greater level of protection against theft. Newer model vehicles however tend to be targeted by professional thieves who rely on methods other than defeating a vehicle's security system at the roadside.


How can opportunistic car theft be reduced?
Opportunistic thieves steal vehicles to fulfil an immediate need or desire for transport and rely on finding unsecured, easy to steal cars. Reducing the incidence of opportunistic theft relies on making these vehicles difficult for opportunistic thieves to steal.

Vehicles fitted with an electronic engine immobiliser require a uniquely coded key or transponder for the engine to be started. The thief can not simply force the vehicle's door and drive it away.


What is an immobiliser?
An engine immobiliser is an electronic device that interrupts the power supply to two or more systems required to start a vehicle's engine. Unless the correct electronic signal is provided by the ignition key, a transponder or a coded plug, the vehicle will not start. The signal to de-activate the system is constantly changing, making it virtually impossible to 'crack'.

All immobilisers that meet the Australian/New Zealand Standard for Vehicle Immobilisers 4601:1999 are self-arming. This means that the immobiliser is automatically activated when the ignition is turned off. The Standard was developed by industry experts, ensuring that the immobiliser cannot be easily overcome by thieves and will not affect the safe operation of the vehicle.

Click here for further information about the CAR-SAFE Immobilise Now! program.


Do immobilisers work?
An Australian Standards approved engine immobiliser is the most effective security device available and will deter all but the most determined of professional thieves. The vehicle cannot be simply driven off under its own power.

A small percentage of vehicles that are fitted with immobilisers are stolen. Research indicates that immobilisers are fitted to 45% of all vehicles in Australia, but only 7% of stolen vehicles. In most of these cases the thief obtained access to the original key because it was left in or near the vehicle, or by theft from a home or workplace. Immobilisers do work but owners must be careful to keep their keys out of the hands of thieves. A simple rule is that if your car is at home, but you are not, make sure the keys are with you or at least away from the property.

Click here for further information about the CAR-SAFE Immobilise Now! program.


What is the Car-Safe Immobilise Now! program?
Immobilise Now! is a program run by the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC) under its CAR-SAFE trademark for community education programs. The NMVTRC, a not-for-profit organisation formed by all Australian governments in partnership with the insurance industry, does not receive any income or other consideration from the Immobilise Now! program.

The Immobilise Now! program aims to reduce the opportunistic theft of older cars by securing as many vehicles as possible with affordable, Australian Standard approved engine immobilisers.

Immobilisers fitted under the CAR-SAFE program are available at participating installers for between $160 and $200, depending on the type of product. Prices include the immobiliser, installation, GST and a minimum two year warranty for all parts and labour. This price is well below the usual recommended retail price.

Click here for further information about Immobilise Now!


Where can I have a CAR-SAFE immobiliser installed?
Having an immobiliser fitted by a qualified locally based installer keeps employment and profits within the local economy. There are around 600 professional registered CAR-SAFE Immobilise Now! installers across Australia. Installers have been recruited via an open process with potential participants contacted through peak motor trade organisations and newspaper advertisements.

The CAR-SAFE call centre (telephone 1300 132 146) can provide up-to-date details of installers in your area, or click here for a list of installers in your state or territory.


Isn't $200 still too much to pay for many people?
Australians value their cars for the freedom, convenience and independence they provide. For many the inconvenience of being without a car and having to rely on family, friends or public transport to get around would be an unbearable or unmanageable disruption.

Even if your car is insured, the reality is that you will face extra personal costs of around $1,200 to $1,800 on average if your car is stolen. These costs include insurance excess and increased premiums, alternative transport arrangements, time off work and replacing personal items such as CDs or sports gear that have disappeared with your vehicle. For uninsured motorists the cost is even greater.

In this context, $200 is a small price to pay for the surety that your vehicle will be where you left it.


What is the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council?
The NMVTRC is a joint initiative of all Australian governments and the insurance industry. It is a not-for-profit organisation whose role is to drive down Australia's unacceptably high level of vehicle theft. The NMVTRC is working with police, registration authorities, motor trades, motoring clubs, insurers and vehicle manufacturers to:

  • make vehicles more difficult to steal;
  • close the regulatory and procedural loopholes that professional thieves currently exploit between states and territories; and
  • lead potential young offenders away from vehicle theft.

Click here for more details about the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council.

 

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