See reeves st. rGVrirkregFF Nid (nelllel P| Reducing Your Cr Theft Risk (NAPSA)—To protect your cr from theft, it cn be importnt to know how t risk you re. On verge, one out of every 1538 reg- istered motor vehicles is stolen ntionwide. The nnul cost of vehicle theft to consumers, includ- ing insurnce premiums, is pproximtely $7 billion. While Hond Accords nd Toyot Cmrys re the most often stolen crs, ccording to recent report by the Ntionl Insurnce Crime Bureu, ll vehicles re t risk. There re numberof things you cn do to keep your cr to yourself. For exmple, surprising number of crs re stolen with the keys in the ignition, left by driver tking minute to stop t n ATM orto grb cup of coffee. “This is primrily crime of opportunity; these re not professionl cr thieves,” sid Lt. Dve Grssi of the Erie, Pennsylvni Police Deprtment. “Juveniles see cr left running nd unttended nd think, ‘This will be esier thn I thought.” Here re some more tips to keep your cr from being trget: Prk in well-lit res, preferbly in ttended lots. If you hve to leve your key with n ttendnt, leve only the ignition nd door key. * Don’t leve vlubles in plin view. If your vehicle is rer-wheel drive, bck into your drivewy to mke towing more difficult for thieves. Conversely, if your vehicle is front-wheel drive, pull forwrd into your drivewy. Don’t leve your cr running when you step out; thief only needs minuteto drive off. If you hve ccess to grge, use it. Lock the grge door s well s yourvehicle. Foil thieves with ignition kill switches, which prevent the engine from strting, or fuel kill switches, whichhlt the fuel supply. Floorbord locks disble the gs or brke pedl nd prevent the use of these pedls, nd gershift locks to disble the clutch, preventing shifting of the trnsmission. Tire or wheel locks cn lso be used to prevent the vehicle from moving. Invest in brightly-colored steering wheel lock such s The Club, which prevents the steering wheel from being turned nd cn be deterrent tht encourges thieves to move on to more vulnerble vehicles. It might even qulify you for n insurnce discount. The Club is recommended by the Frternl OrderofPolice. For more informtion ndtips, go to www.theclub.com.
