Why are carjackings becoming more common ?
"As with other crimes, public awareness concerning the techniques and motivations of carjackers and vehicle theft rings in general may represent the most effective countermeasure. Working with community groups to develop prevention programs helps to combat the problem. Accordingly, law enforcement agencies should publicize and encourage citizens to adopt effective precautionary strategies."
- Mary Ellen Beekman, The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin 10/1/1993
The statistics show very clearly that the frequency of carjackings is increasing worldwide. The key questions are "why ?" and "what can I do about it ?"
In terms of "what can I do about it ?", if you want to protect yourself, your family and your property, there is no better system on the market to do this than Forced Ignition.
There are a few theories as to why the number of carjackings are increasing ...
Factor Number 1: "Smart" ignition keys
One factor that many claim has led to an increase in the number of carjackings is so-called "smart keys" fitted by vehicle manufacturers to newer vehicles.
Some vehicle manufacturers market these "smart keys" as a security feature, and in some ways they are one (in that they make it harder for theives to steal a car without the key), but you can be very sure that car thieves and carjackers know which vehicles have such keys fitted by the car manufacturer.
If a carjacker or car thief wants a car that is fitted with a "smart key", then rather than just needing to steal the car itself, they now need to get the key as well !
And one very quick and unfortunately effective way to do that is to carjack the driver !
The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin's October 1993 edition reported the following ...
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2194/is_n10_v62/ai_15140128/print
~~~~~~~~
"The Key is the Key
These types of crimes stem from a basic rule of today's car thieves: Obtain the keys, as well as the vehicle. Stealing cars--especially expensive automobiles--without keys invariably results in considerable damage to the vehicles, and thus, lowers their price on the illegal market.
This situation exists largely because manufacturers of luxury automobiles are taking steps to ensure that only individuals possessing the original keys can operate vehicles. Some manufacturers now make keys that cannot be easily duplicated commercially--the manufacturer is the only source of the key. Other automakers embed computer chips into ignition keys. Removing the key from the ignition immobilizes the vehicle, and only a key with a matching computer chip can start the motor.
In addition to the growing sophistication of factory precautions and the need to safeguard the value of stolen automobiles, the prevalence of vehicle security systems also underscores the need for thieves to steal the keys along with the vehicles. All of these factors seem to lead to a shift from traditional vehicle-theft techniques to more confrontational and violent methods. Backlash
A reformed car thief recently told investigators that "for every pro there is a con." The individual elaborated that whenever confronted by an obstacle, thieves find a way around it. Applying this to the automobile theft trade, he stated that the more sophisticated antitheft devices become, the more cunning thieves must be to overcome them.
This reasoning may help to explain the dramatic rise in armed vehicle thefts. In many cases, carjacking represents a reckless, but effective, backlash against the use of sophisticated antitheft devices. From a thief's perspective, putting a gun to a victim's head overcomes any antitheft device"
~~~~~~~~
In the case of the Forced Ignition system however, even the extreme of "putting a gun to a victim's head" does NOT overcome the antitheft device.
This is because the Forced Ignition system is something the thief or carjackier does not know is fitted to the vehicle and is not expecting. Forced Ignition is also completely passive, so the carjacking victim does not have to press any hidden buttons etc. With the Forced Ignition system fitted, the person who is being carjacked can simply get out of the car and let the carjacker take the vehicle.
As the carjacker speeds away, the car thief or carjacker will not even realise the Forced Ignition system is fitted to the car ... until a quarter mile or so down the road the vehicle stops and cannot be restarted by the carjacker.
Factor Number 2: Changes in the motivation behind vehicle thefts
The Society for the Advancement of Education reported in USA Today's September 1993 edition that ...
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_n2580_v122/ai_13266605/print
~~~~~~~~
"When the sole motive of car theft was to obtain the vehicle for its value, there typically was little danger posed to the average American.
In contrast, the primary motives of today's carjackers appear to be transportation for a getaway after robbing the drivers, a source of transportation to commit another crime, and joyriding. So, in contrast to the past, the new carjacking problem is more akin to the violent street crimes associated with gangs and the drug subculture, and motorists are more at risk of physical harm and/or death ...
What we have discovered is that most carjackers are armed and inclined to steal expensive cars. The main reason for targeting these vehicles is that, if armed robbery is the motive, there is a greater likelihood that the driver of a Mercedes Benz or other luxury car will be carrying a lot of money or will be in possession of valuables, such as jewelry.
That said, motorists should not feel immune to carjacking because their cars are old or less desirable. For instance, among those vehicles taken by force in Washington, D.C., during 1992 were a 1977 Dodge Dart and 1979 Buick station wagon. Often, carjacking is a crime of opportunity, and any vehicle is acceptable for joyriding or as a getaway car."
~~~~~~~~
The "source of transportation to commit another crime" theory is backed up by cases like that of a female Porsche driver who was the victim of a violent carjacking by three men at her home in Northbridge, Sydney, Australia.
Following the carjacking the car was allegedly used in an armed hold-up at St. Leonards by three men - two armed with guns, one with a machete as reported here ...
Sydney Morning Herald - April 18 2007
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/carjackers-steal-200000-porsche/2007/04/18/1176696869561.html
Sydney Morning Herald - April 19 2007
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/melanies-porsche-used-in-armed-holdup/2007/04/19/1176696949806.html?page=fullpage
ABC News - April 19 2007
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1901000.htm
Factor Number 3: Ramraids
The early 90's also saw the rise of the ramraid, which is another factor that some claim has led to an increase in the number of carjackings.
In a ramraid theives steal a vehicle then use that stolen vehicle to literally ram through the door or plate glass of a store or warehouse, fill the vehicle with stolen goods, then drive away in the stolen vehicle.
March 26: Silver Honda ramraid - Gucci store, Castlereagh Street, Sydney (Image credit: The Daily Telegraph)
However, a recent trend has been the theft of large four wheel drive vehicles and SUV's for use in ram raids. The durability, power and load carrying ability of such vehicles that appeals to consumers who buy such vehicles also appeals to the ramraiders.
Add a chunky bull bar to the front of one of these vehicles and you end up with a vehicle ideally suited for crashing through barriers or plate glass in a ramraid.
And once the ramraiders have crashed your vehicle through the targeted store or warehouse, the large vehicle offers them additional load carrying capacity to fill the vehicle with stolen goods.
April 5: Thieves ram-raid Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney Australia targetting a bank cash machine (Image credit - The Daily Telegraph)
If a carjacker decides they need the keys to such a vehicle, or if the manufacturer of such a vehicle has chosen to fit a "smart" key to the vehicle, then you're back to the problem referred to by the FBI of "the key is the key". And one way for ramraider to get the key and the vehicle is a carjacking.
In many cases such vehicles are used by families to transport their kids around. Unfortunately that can put law abiding families and violent carjackers on a collision course.
Click on the video above to view a news report about a recent ram raid in Sydney
Factor Number 4: Carjacking being glorified in video games
Another factor that some claim has led to an increase in the number of carjackings is increasing violence in video games and in some cases actual glorification of carjacking and vehicle theft as the aim of the video game.
On July 15 2007, the New Zealand Herald reported ...
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=38&objectid=10451596&pnum=0
~~~~~~~~
"A 20-year-old man accused of a carjacking says he was driven to commit the crime after playing a violent video game for hours on end.
In what is believed to be a legal first in New Zealand, Sheik Tanweerul Haque Sahib is blaming the R18 video game Grand Theft Auto - an escapist shoot-'em-up where gamers are encouraged to steal cars by force - for an alleged incident in which he stole a convertible at knifepoint and then crashed after a motorway joyride ...
The defence has failed overseas but research suggests that violent video games are linked to increased aggression and that playing for extended periods of time could cause a "dissociative state", in which individuals cannot recall their actions.
Charged with aggravated robbery, assault and threatening to kill, Sahib is alleged to have threatened the driver of a Saab convertible with a knife in a carjacking incident in central Auckland last October.
The driver quickly gave up his car to Sahib, who took it for a joyride and eventually crashed on the North-western Motorway. "A short time later, he attempted to do a similar thing with a woman who was backing out of an address, and was scared off by her son," Detective Sergeant Terry Reardon told TVNZ at the time ...
Extremely violent and wildly popular, Grand Theft Auto is said by critics to desensitise children to violence and glamourise sexual violence against women. Gamers are encouraged to steal cars at gunpoint, and shoot innocent civilians, police officers and fellow criminals alike. Australia has banned Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas because of a hidden sex scene which can be unlocked ...
Teenagers who played Grand Theft Auto had made comments such as "crimes are easy", "made me think of violence and how to do it to people for no specific reason", "it was tempting to steal/hijack a car", "how easy it was to kill" and "killing was fun", according to a survey released last December ...
Grand Theft Auto has also been linked with two 14-year-old boys escaping from CYF care and shooting at Tauranga police officers in a car chase last month ...
Blaming Grand Theft Auto proved unsuccessful in the United States when a 20-year-old man was sentenced to death this year for the 2003 killings of three policemen.
Devin Moore, then 16, was questioned by police on suspicion of stealing a car but grabbed an officer's pistol and fatally shot three police in a cold-blooded killing spree.
His lawyers mounted a defence case based on his childhood full of mental and physical abuse, as well as an affinity for violent games.
One game in particular, Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto III, was singled out, because gamers can steal cars and kill cops.
Moore had said he was inspired by the PlayStation2 game. The victims' families have sued Take-Two Interactive (parent company of Rockstar), Sony, Wal-Mart, and GameStop for their parts in the manufacturing and selling of the game, saying they are complicit in murder."
~~~~~~~~
A gallery of screenshots from Grand Theft Auto San Andreas can be viewed at
http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/screens/screen01.html
The promotional trailers for Grand Theft Auto San Andreas can viewed in the movies section at
http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/
Factor Number 5: Illegal Drug Use & The Link To Motor vehicle Crime
In Australia there is an organisation called DUMA - Drug Use Monitoring In Australia. It is a partnership between the Australian Institute of Criminology, State Police Services and local researchers.
In December 2005, The National Comprehensive Auto-theft Resarch System (CARS), analysed the DUMA data from persons in police custody, and published a study called "Drug Use and Vehicle Crime - An Analysis of DUMA Data on Offenders Arrested for Motor Vehicle Theft".
The report found ...
"This study, using Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) data, reports a strong link between drug use and motor vehicle theft (MVT). The study examined information collected from a nonrepresentative sample of 7,260 adult detainees from January 2003 to December 2004 and the findings of urine samples provided by more than 80 per cent of the detainee participants.
Nine out of ten MVT offenders tested positive to at least one drug with almost six in ten testing positive to at least two. The proportion of MVT offenders who tested positive for amphetamines, benzodiazepines, cannabis and opiates was higher than for other offenders."
Percentage of detainees testing positive by type of drug and age group - MVT detainees vs other offenders
As if drug use wasn't bad enough, in addition, the report found that more than half of offenders carrying out motor vehicle thefts had also been involved in the manufacturer, transportation or selling of drugs. The report states ...
The below graph charts such involvement in the sale or manufacture of illegal drugs by motor vehicle theft detainees, and of course that data is only those who actually admitted to such activities ! ...
Percentage of motor-vehicle theft detainees testing positive by whether they reported ever being involved in the manufacture, transportation or selling of illegal drugs
When drug use is combined with vehicle theft and carjackings, law abiding citizens are faced with a lethal combination.
Click on the movie above to view Police incar video footage of a car thief on the drug "ice" stealing a car and being chased by police - from a report by ABC TV Australia's "Catalyst" science Program - broadcast 1 November 2007
The bottom line is simple ...
If you or your family are targetted by a motor vehicle thief, you have ...
What Can I Do About It ?
Again, if you want to protect yourself, your family and your property, there is no better system on the market to do this than Forced Ignition.
NEXT PAGE: More Carjacking Videos
 | Click here to subscribe free to our RSS blog feed |
Homepage | Online Store | Featured Products | Newsletter Signup | TunerWire Live Blog
Customer Cars Gallery | Videos
© All images and text on this website are protected by copyright under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act 1998 (DMCA). Copyright Waenick Pty Ltd. No copying, distribution, nor republication of any kind is permitted without written permission.
The Tuners Group is based in Sydney NSW Australia and we ship worldwide from warehouses in Japan, Australia and the United States
websites for