Many stolen vehicles are not recovered

Press, 28 July 1989, Page 39

Many stolen vehicles are not recovered

Vehicle theft has become a major problem for New Zealand motorists. In 1982 21,000 cars were stolen and by last year the figure had increased to 39,000 with an insurance payout of more than $l3O million. Sadly, about one third of stolen vehicles are not recovered. They are usually sold, which means that the new owner may suffer a substantial loss as well as the original owner. For a small payment of $24, however, vehicle owners can become part of a system that is guaranteed to reduce the possibility of having their vehicles stolen. The system is Brand-A-Car, which was recently introduced to New Zealand after successful use overseas. Considering the magnitute of the vehicle theft problem the Brand-A-Car solution may seem almost too simple.

A 10-minute operation brands the vehicle’s registration number on both front and rear windscreens. Although the permanent brands are small, they can be seen from a following vehicle. Police or traffic officers can therefore easily check if the branded numbers and the registration plate numbers are the same. For a potential car thief a branded car is less attractive. Replacing two windscreens could cost about $BOO and there is also an increased possibility of being caught, because glass merchants are aware of the Brand-A-Car system. Another factor is that rear windscreens can be difficult to replace. About 100 i front windscreens are broken to one rear windscreen. When a vehicle is branded, all relevant information concerning registration, ownership

and insurance is put into a computer which the Ministry of Transport and the police have access to. There is nothing new about branding one’s means of transport. Before the motoring age, horses were branded as a protection against rustlers. Brand-A-Car is really a similar, but modern version of this. Mark Laird, who operates the Brand-A-Car system in Christchurch, says that no branded cars have been stolen in New Zealand since the system was introduced seven months ago.