A puzzling invitation to auto theft is increasingly sitting in the unoccupied car's cup holder—the key fob. After many years of car theft declines arising from improved technology, we are now seeing a surge in this unfortunate crime. This spree, worsened perhaps by the pandemic, can be attributed to largely one factor: human carelessness. No hot wire is needed!
Numerous underlying factors lay behind this phenomenon. Some
drivers forget a key fob inside the vehicle. Others remember the key fob but
leave the car running—allowing the vehicle to be driven off but not able to be
restarted later. Many of the victims are the vast number of delivery drivers
dropping off food and other items, leaving their cars running and vulnerable.
Also, some thieves are even using sophisticated technology to reprogram keyless
automobiles.
Key fobs became common a few years ago. Thus, many experts
projected that auto thefts would be increasingly rare. Yet, the National Crime
Insurance Bureau reports that there are nearly 80,000 vehicle thefts with keys
or fobs left inside the vehicle per year—about 210 vehicles every day. This
represents a 56 percent increase compared to 2015 statistics. Many of these
thefts arose from joyriding teenagers, not sophisticated crime rings.
Fortunately, a high percentage of these cars are later found nearby and undamaged.
What is the solution? Obviously, people need to be protective
concerning their keys and key fobs. And auto manufacturers are planning to
combat this phenomenon, experimenting with facial recognition software and
fingerprint readers for the next generation of cars. With this latest
technology, the vehicle could only be operated by a special person(s). Will
tomorrow's technology save the day? Maybe but maybe not. We thought that before
with the key fob!
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