VINGUARD Auto Theft Facts

AUTO THEFT FACTS

Auto Theft is a booming illicit business. Vehicles are stolen for resale both in whole and parts. Did you know a vehicle can be worth up to three times as much money when sold as parts

Law enforcement agencies, insurance company's and the federal government are doing their best to help. However, it is the responsibility of all vehicle owners to take the additional steps to prevent this growing problem.

In North America, a vehicle like yours is stolen every 19 seconds . (1996 UN Information Service)
Auto theft is BIG business, costing American’s nearly $10 billion dollars per year.
Vehicles are stolen from shopping malls, streets, driveways, parking lots, garages and car dealerships.
Professional car thieves are not deterred by sophisticated alarm systems and/or locking devices.
It can take a thief under 40 seconds to cut through a steering wheel, remove the most common steering wheel lock and steal your car.
Auto alarms are considered a nuisance and they are ignored every day.
No one is going to protect your vehicle for you.
Even with insurance when your vehicle is stolen you can lose thousand dollars in tax when you purchase another.

Auto theft causes economic hardship for victims.
Because of insurance rates, when a vehicle is stolen we all pay.

Common Myths:			Facts:
"If my car is stolen, my insurance gives me a new one."	TRUE	FALSE	Insurance companies give you the depreciated value of your car and they don't pay for the tax when you purchase a new one.
"I'm o.k., I have an alarm system."	TRUE	FALSE	Do you pay attention to a car alarm going off? Most people don't even notice or consider it a disturbance if they do.
"My personal belongings will be replaced at no cost to me."	TRUE	FALSE	You have to pay your home content insurance deductible and your premiums may increase the next year.
"Nobody would want to steal my car, it's not good enough."	TRUE	FALSE	All cars are a target. Yours may be worth 3 times as much when sold as parts. The parts of vehicles 3-9 years old are in high demand.

VIN Etching which is also known as VIN etch or window etching or glass etching, is the permanent etching of the federally registered vehicle identification number (VIN) into all the major glass areas of a vehicle (also know as a car truck Sport Utility Vehicle or a van ). Once your vehicle is protected by VIN etch it is protected against VIN switching which is known as identity theft for cars.

Cars trucks Sport Utility Vehicles and vans are stolen by professional thieves for either resale or for parts. VIN Etching (also known as VINetch or VINetching) effectively deters the theft of a vehicle for resale because it is very costly to alter its VIN because all of the vehicles window glass must be replaced. In addition the buyers of stolen vehicles will not risk getting caught with VIN etch etched cars or trucks because the VIN etched window glass can become physical evidence in court linking them to the original crime. Theft of a vehicle with VIN etching by a chop shop for parts is also deterred because the thief would not want all of your vehicles glass around the chop shop with the VIN etched evidence on it. Most people do not even notice the VIN etch on the windows but police and the thieves know right where to look. Thieves simply move onto a vehicle which has not been protected with VIN Etching.

There is no doubt that VIN etching (VINetching or VINetch) really does deter auto theft. VIN etching is recommended by law enforcement agencies and insurance companies throughout the United States as an effective auto theft deterrent. In fact there are laws in Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington that make it mandatory for insurance discounts on cars with VIN etched windows. Many insurance companies in states that have not been forced to provide insurance discounts for VINetching have already started to give discounts to policyholders that have VIN etch protected vehicles because VIN etching is such an effective deterrent and can prevent auto theft.