Vehicle theft is quickly becoming a crime that affects all of us. According to the FBI's Uniform Crime reports, the odds of a vehicle being stolen are one in 207. It's time to offer protection to the public that not only financially protects consumers from the after-effects of automobile theft, but also actually DETERS thieves from stealing their vehicles. ETCHWise Theft Deterrent can give consumers peace of mind.
How it works:
ETCHWise Theft Deterrent comes in two varieties -- body panels and window etching.
Body panels consist of a set of eight stickers, marked with a specific code, which are placed inside the body of the car. These stickers are linked back to the ETCHWise Theft Deterrent contract and the vehicle's VIN number, which is reported to a national VIN database. These stickers can be removed at any time; however, the code will remain, invisible to the naked eye, but, with a blue light, offers up the ownership of the car to the police. The set also includes two window stickers, which indentify a consumer's car as being protected by ETCHWise.
Window etching works much in the same way, but the code is permanently etched in to the vehicles glass. No criminal wants to steal a car which is marked with a code that can be easily detected and linked back to the original owner.
Key Statistics:
- 2006 Theft Statistics: According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)'s Uniform Crime Reports, a motor vehicle is stolen in the United States every 26.4 seconds. The odds of a vehicle being stolen were 1 in 207 in 2005 (latest data available based on registrations from the Federal Highway Administration, thefts from the FBI and calculated by the Insurance Information Institute). The odds are highest in urban areas.
- In 2006, 1,192,809 motor vehicles were reported stolen.
- Western states accounted for the largest share of thefts—36.8 percent, followed by the South at 34.6 percent. The Midwest accounted for 18.5 percent of thefts and the Northeast for 10.2 percent.
Only 12.6 percent of thefts were cleared by arrests in 2006.
Top Ten States for Auto Theft
| California |
242,693 |
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Texas
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95,429 |
| Florida |
76,437 |
| Arizona |
54,849 |
| Michigan |
50,017 |
| Washington |
45,899 |
| Georgia |
43,163 |
| Illinois |
37,641 |
| Ohio |
37,425 |
| New York |
32,134 |
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A motor vehicle is stolen in the United States every 26.4 seconds -- that's two every minute!
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 Vehicle theft is the most expensive property crime in the U.S.
 7.6 billion dollars is lost every year to American car owners
Only 18% of vehicles stolen are recovered without damage
Within the first week of a vehicle being stolen, there is only a 50% chance of recovery
The greatest number of vehicle thefts occur in August and October
The least amount of thefts occue in February
Carjackings occur most frequently in urban areas. They accounted for only 3.0 percent of all motor vehicle thefts, based on Department of Justice data from 1993 to 2002 (latest available).
Some major insurance companies offer up to a 25% discount on comprehensive premiums with this type of protection
Odds of recovering a stolen vehicle are improved when police can trace the ownership of the vehicle
ETCHWise, unlike car alarms and other protective devices, CAN NOT be removed, offering permanent protection.
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