Who'd Want to Steal My Old Car
Many older cars are stolen in Maryland for a variety of reasons. If you like your reliable car (which has probably been paid off), you may want to know why your older car is more of a target for thieves:
- Older vehicles were easier to steal. The ignition systems werent made to defeat anyone with theft knowledge. Thieves know how to steal the older cars, and take those vehicles that they already know how to steal.
- Federal law mandates that manufacturers supply car parts for ten model years after a vehicle is produced. These parts become increasingly expensive, and can even be costly when purchased at a Salvage yard. Thieves use your car as their source for replacement parts, then dump your car and leave you to find replacement parts for your car.
- Owners of older cars become complacent. They just dont think anyone would steal their old "junker." These owners are less apt to lock or otherwise secure their aging vehicle, making it an easy target for thieves.
- A vehicle that is older than eight model years can be sold without a title to a scrapper. These cars are sold by drug addicts for scrap metal weight prices.
- These cars attract less attention from law enforcement than high dollar vehicles. They are used in the drug trafficking business.
Many older cars don't carry comprehensive insurance and when stolen, are total dollar loss to their owners. These cars should still be protected by owners using the existing locks, and simple, inexpensive vehicle locking devices, such as the "Club". You can also protect your car by joining the free National Watch Your Car program. This law enforcement project allows police to stop your car if is being driven during the theft prevalent hours of 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.; those times when you are asleep and dont even know that a thief is driving your car.
Article written by:
Sgt. Bob Jagoe
Baltimore Regional Auto Theft Team
Baltimore County Police Department
