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KEEPING IT SAFE
An unfortunate fact of living in South Africa is
that your car is a target for criminals. As a result,
insurers demand your car be fitted with proper anti-theft
devices. Basically, it is possible to divide car security
systems into two groups; those that limit the chance
of your car being stolen, and those that aid in the
recovery of the vehicle once it has been stolen.
Anti-theft devices
- Alarm –alarms are required by some
insurance agencies, but they don't guarantee your
car won't be stolen. Some thieves know how to quickly
deactivate an alarm, and when an alarm is fitted
without an immobiliser, there will usually be enough
time for the thief to deactivate the alarm and speed
away before anyone reacts to the sounding alarm.
- Immobiliser – when fitted, these systems
require the pressing of a button or the insertion
of a special key before the car will start. Many
thieves know how to bypass these, but it can take
time. As a result, engine immobilisers are a useful
feature to have on any car.
- Gear locks – locks the car's gearlever
into a specific gear, so that a thief cannot change
gear. The locks can be picked, however.
- Steering locks – a steel device that
clamps onto the steering wheel, preventing it from
being turned. Like a gear lock, it can be sidestepped
in a number of ways. Some thieves may simply cut
through or remove the steering wheel entirely!
- Anti-hijacking –there is no guaranteed
system to prevent a hijacking, because no matter
how sophisticated your car's anti-hijacking system,
it only takes a criminal with a gun to change the
picture. The best advice is to find out what you
should do if threatened by a hijacking, and how
to secure the safety of your passengers. The National
Hijack Prevention Academy offers a 40-minute DVD
illustrating the do's and don'ts of a hijack situation.
The DVD costs R75 (including postage and insurance)
and
can be ordered by phoning 012 661 1388, or visit
www.hijack.co.za
for more info.
Recovery devices
- Tracking systems –These involve a
signal device being fitted to the vehicle, enabling
a tracking firm to follow your vehicle's movements.
Usually they then use road recovery vehicles as
well as helicopters to find your car. The most well
known systems are available from Netstar (0860 12
24 36) and Tracker (0860 60 50 40).
- Datadot – a relative newcomer on the
scene, but very highly acclaimed. Parts of your
car (mostly hidden areas) are sprayed with 10 000
little datacontaining dots, each one about the size
of a pinhead. These dots contain the car's unique
VIN number. A thief will not be able to remove all
the dots from the vehicle. The police can then track
any stolen car sprayed with the dots to its original
owner. Each car has a sticker to warn potential
thieves. Datadot can be contacted on 0861 328 236.
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