You Can't Stop Car Thieves. You Can Protect Yourself.

WESTWOOD, Mass., May 9 -- According to the FBI, one vehicle is stolen every 27 seconds in the United States. That's a frightening statistic, considering vehicle theft is the costliest property crime in the U.S., costing consumers more than $7.8 billion annually (National Insurance Crime Bureau, 1999).

Car owners should take every precaution in protecting themselves against thieves; including parking in well-lit areas, activating car alarm services and being mindful that most thefts occur at your home or in public areas like shopping malls.

However, the fight against car theft does not end with these precautions. Professional thieves will continue to successfully steal cars, and car owners will continue to pay the emotional and monetary price of theft.

To truly ensure that you will not be burned by car thieves, protect yourself by installing a stolen vehicle recovery system in your car. Companies like LoJack (www.lojack.com) develop and market radio frequency devices that, once activated by law enforcement officials, will allow the police to track and recover the stolen vehicle -- resulting in a 90% recovery rate for police utilizing LoJack's technology.

In LoJack's 15 years of service, it has been a trusted security system for millions of car owners worldwide. LoJack has enabled local law enforcement officials to recover and return unharmed stolen cars to thousands of owners, decreasing the number of theft victims, while aiding in capture of thieves.

For example, in March, a Dodge Viper was stolen in Newark, NJ. Within 2 hours, police officials tracked the vehicle's LoJack signal to a garage in Newark. The professional thieves had recognized that the Viper was equipped with a GPS tracking device and quickly disarmed the unit and removed the car's battery. Since LoJack's devices are hidden and use radio frequency technology, the thieves were unable to detect the LoJack unit -- and removing the battery has no effect on its ability to help police locate the vehicle. The thieves were shocked when the police arrived and took them into custody. The owner of the $75,000 Viper was relieved when his car was returned without damage.

While it is disconcerting to know that there is no way to put an end to car theft, it is reassuring to know that you can have your car returned to you if you become a target for car thieves.