Author: Chathura Chanuka

“Hiace and Alphard are targeted! Popular cars are vulnerable to “”carjackings””! Crime prevention measures you can take now!

Vehicle Thefts”” Concentrate on Popular Cars
　Vehicle theft and vehicle theft-attempts, two major crimes related to cars, have been on the decline for the past 10 years.
Is your car safe? What kind of car is most likely to be targeted?

　This is thought to be a result of enhanced security and heightened awareness of crime prevention, but there are still some cars that are victims of theft.

Beware of carjackers!

　There have been reports of people breaking the windows and locks of cars parked in home parking lots and stealing valuables inside, as well as exterior parts, wheels, tires, and other items.

　According to crime statistics released by the National Police Agency, there were 23,282 reported vehicle thefts in 2021, a decrease of 4,696 cases compared to the previous year (2020).

　However, the simple calculation shows that 63.8 cases a day still occur, and it is still a crime in which people are likely to be victimized.

　According to the results of the “”Survey on Automobile Theft Accidents”” conducted by the General Insurance Association of Japan for 21 non-life insurance companies, the number of insurance claims paid for vehicle theft decreased to 931 cases, but the average amount of compensation per case was 495,000 yen, which seems to be increasing year by year.

　The top three areas with the highest number of damage reports are Osaka, Aichi, and Chiba prefectures.

　Although this is a cumulative figure, 24.8% of the cases were reported in 2011 or earlier, and 7.4% in 2021, the latest model year, so even cars with the latest security systems cannot be too careful.

　The most popular car models among those actually targeted were the Toyota Prius, Hiace, and Alphard, all of which are popular among new car buyers.

　It seems that the more popular a car is, the more likely it is to be targeted by criminals, and the fact that parts of popular cars are also traded at high prices seems to have something to do with this.

　In addition, there are reports that popular vehicles such as the Prius and Hiace, which have few security features, are more likely to be targeted as base grade vehicles.

　What measures are being taken by car dealerships that pay attention not only to vehicle theft but also to vehicle theft? We interviewed Mr. N, owner of a used car dealership in Tokyo that mainly sells imported cars.

We have a lot of used imported cars that are a bit geeky, so we don’t get much damage, but even so, we take security measures very seriously.

　Vehicle theft is the most common type of damage in a store like ours, but we advise our customers to be very careful in the parking lot as well.””

Hiace and Alphard are targeted! Popular cars are vulnerable to “”carjackings””! Crime prevention measures you can take now!

A hassle-free way to prevent crime
　A surprisingly common cause of car-jacking victims is said to be simple forgetting to lock the door. In some cases, people forget to lock their doors in a sense of security after returning home, and they become the victims of carjackings.

Forgetting to lock the door makes it easy to become a carjacker.

　Luggage and other valuables are the first things to be targeted by carjackers. It is important not to leave bags, small items, or loose change in the car.

　Many people may also leave their ETC cards in the glove box, which is often installed inside the glove box. For safety reasons, we recommend that you always remove it when you get out of the car.

　In other words, it is important to keep the car free of items to be stolen.

　Although vibration-sensing anti-theft devices installed after the car may be effective, they are not as popular as expected because they may cause the alarm to sound inadvertently, according to Mr. N, manager of the used car store mentioned above.

Nowadays, an increasing number of vehicles are equipped with factory-installed immobilizers, so it is a good idea to check before purchasing a car to see if it has an anti-theft device.””

　Next, we asked Mr. F, a mechanic working at a maintenance shop in Saitama Prefecture, who has experience repairing vehicles that have been the victim of a vehicle theft.

　What kind of damage do carjackers often encounter?

Recently, there have been many thefts using the “”relay attack”” technique, which has been in the news for a while, but the classic case is still the breaking of side windows to unlock doors and ransacking.

　Soft tops are still being cut off in convertible cars.

　Until around the 2000s, there were also many thefts of exterior components such as fog lamps and roof racks that had been retrofitted, as well as car audio systems, but recently there have been reports of thefts of batteries.

　Older cars, such as the recently booming neo-classics, have fewer anti-theft devices than newer cars, making them easy targets. It is important not to leave anything in the car that could be stolen.

　Also, according to the F-mechanic, if you park your car in a parking lot with the front of the car facing away from people as much as possible, you can expect to have some effect in deterring thefts from your car.

　In the case of preventing the theft of expensive motorcycles such as Harley Davidsons, it is better to park out of sight.

It is important to make criminals think that “”this car (motorcycle) is difficult to target.

The number of crimes has been increasing in recent years.

　With the recent increase in the number of crimes, it is not always safe to drive around in your own premises or in a parking lot.

　First of all, it is important not to leave anything of value in the car and to ensure that the car is locked.

　More and more people are purchasing security cameras as security goods, and the recorded images can be useful as evidence against theft, car theft, and malicious pranks.

　Although not a panacea, it can serve as a deterrent to a certain extent, so it may be effective to install a security camera prominently in a parking lot.”