As the interiors of our cars start to resemble the sales floor at Circuit City, and as auto manufacturers get increasingly better at discouraging at least casual thieves (the pros will just roll your ride onto a flatbed), what's inside your vehicle may now be more attractive than the vehicle itself.
According to the FBI, theft of portable electronics from vehicles has increased 30% from 2000 to 2004, with 1.74 million occurrences now taking place each year. One of the most attractive targets is said to be portable GPS navigation units, which are obvious targets for the same reason that radar detectors have been - they're expensive, easy to move on the black market, and only a few suction cups hold them in place.
The best way to avoid such theft, of course, is to not leave such objects in your vehicle, or at least stash them out of sight. Tinted windows (where legal) may also help, and if you think that an alarm system may help, by all means invest in one (and install it correctly!). Given the number of alarms we've heard going off with nary a glance from passers-by, we're not sure they're of much good, but maybe thieves think otherwise.
[Source: UPI]
