Ui ALL. One Million Cars | Expected te to be Stolen This ee e Pro’s Find Ways of Getting Around Locks; New Devices Thwarting Joy Riders; Older Autos Become Targets By ROBERT W. IRVIN One of every 100 cars and ttucks in the United States was stolen last year. Or, to put it another way, almost one million |‘? vehicles were stolen in a ‘year when new car sales totaled 8.3. million. ; Tt seems like a contradiction, but these thefts — - which, are at a record high — come at a time when all new cars are be- ing equipped with anti-theft devices to lock the steering. col- _ umn, transmission and ignition, . Paeling - inmer.. core. Causes wneven, rough <1 atfaces, will-spon fail, Belt with. siitk, ‘hire sides slips, causes low’ battery, overheating. Grease softened Inner® Jarged by flexing belt. core, stick sides cause - Gan break any time, = _ Mips, ret rubber. track» on undersids, en. Belt. looks: okay te from ott ‘top; sides ‘and may be split, war: However, these devices have only been on cars for the last few years, There are probably still 90. million vehicles: on the road without them, - So, it will likely be some years before. itean be determined how much the new devices will cut thefts. ©. Nationwide, car thefts are ‘still: on the increase,- In 1968, some 777,800 cars were stolen; in .1969,:871,900. The FBI has not yet released most recent figures, but they are expected - to show another increase to well. over 900,000, perhaps one million annually, Cars Now Even Towed Away The anti-theft locks are not stopping the professional car ‘thief, according to offi- clals from industry and gov- ernment, The pro knows how to defeat the lock —in some . cases by physically remov- ing it San Francisco police .re- cently reported to the Auto- mobile Manufacturers Asso~ ciation (AMA) that many professional auto thieves op- erating in thelr city were towing the new cars away, Instead of trying to break the lock on the street, they haul the car toa garage where they can work. on it: in private. However towing the new cars chn be a problem for both thieves and police be- cause the devices lock bath the transmission and steer- ing column. With.‘the con- ventional! rear-drive -Ameri-. can car, you can’t piek up the front wheels and tow it : because the transmission ‘keeps the back wheels locked, You ean pick up the rear end and tow the car, provid- ing the “front. wheels are locked ina’ straight ahead: position; But you can't tow It this way if the frant wheels were turned when the col- umn was locked. The only re- course then, is to put-dollies under the wheels to tow.the . ear, Obviously, no juvenile is | ’ golng.to go to this trouble to steal @ car just for kicks.. Reduce Thefts, Lower Accidents But Robert L, Wilson, sec- retary of the AMA's vehicle: security committee, said the device “definitely has an ef- fect on the joy riding kids. ‘The juveniles are stealing a lower percentage of new cars, that was our main thrust ‘With the device”. The only available statis- tics shaw that about 40 per- cent of the cars stolen had the keys left.in the ignition. This, of course, defeats the. ‘purpose of the triple-locking ; system. To remind people to’ remove their keys, cats for the last couple. of years have had a. buzzer “which sounds if the driver’s door Is opened with: the key still in the igni- tion. In an effort to make it eas- “Jer for police to Identify a Stolen car and to make it: tougher for. thieves, Vehicie Identification Numbers (VIN) are now mounted perma- nently on the dnstrument panel.: New cars have had to have ~ the triple lock since January 1, 1970 under a federal safe- ty. regulation adopted be- Cause. stolen cats are 200. times more likely.to be. in--: volyed in a traffic aceident,: according to statistics.. Thus, if you cut down. the. number. st -of.car thefts, you.should cut” down the number of acel- . dents. -. rol Auto Executive Points Finger New York City is called, among other things, the sto- len car capital of the .world.. . Chicago is running second.’ One auto executive theorizes, “I know there are a lot of organized groups. in New.” York and Chicago who steal cars.— “make a. business out ms: of this, . “In my’ opinion, the - most ‘technologically “sharp indi- -: viduals come out of Chicago. frustrated engineer, ‘He seems _ to. know all the fine ways, of doing things — areal sharp - cookie, good with & harmer and a torch.” vs “~ He also said that: “while The. ear thlet’ there is like a’. Thieves K “ep. Up wi Officials. also note a rising . number of stolen trucks and recreational: vehicles, . “The - thieves © “are moving + into’ this’ field | as- these. ve- " pieles: become more popular,” . one. auto. spokesman --satd. 2 NTs: very. tovgh to: identity them! too, ‘heeause. there are - trom | 92 percent (of the.238 300 cars, stolen) ‘recavered: ‘covered | ‘will: prota ul. .* tinue to drop.. 2 . While the locke apparenti mt stop’. a.” professional: lef, : the. “warning*-de { which ayé available as sories may stall hin, | SEN NET arene tear g You. don't have to.be: an expert car. me~ -chanic to detect.a major cause of cooling | systent failure — it’s frequently a bad V-belt. ° _ Most modern cars. -have two or more "V-.- belts. They: are the belts that encircle the . pulleys of your radiator fan, alr conditioner, “place = “he in nen If you can lift the.-hood-of our car, you can::. damaging vital engine components “eheek the V-belts easily, in just a: ‘few sec- onds. (Or, if you prefer,. ask ‘your. service - . station attendant to check them.) « ° _ With the engine stopped, turn the V-belt” ; over in your ae Look carefully, at the © power steering, generator or alternator.. ‘undérside, If it resembles any of the pictures” . shown,, the V-belt should be’ replaced ‘ ‘right “away by your garABe OF: _ Service _statio mechanic. ‘Worn or ‘tracked belts are sure to give ES sooh, probably at-an inconvenient time'an with the’ Jossibility ‘of : serious! a ; Remember: | Most V-belts. look good o: ‘top. It's, the’ underside of. the belt wher you'll. find ‘the wear. “It takes but.a