Is Car theft connected to Road Accidents and fatalities?

According to an in depth scientific article in the Journal of Australasian Road safety Car theft, road accidents and fatalities are connected. Their report conducted in SA (with a population of 1.6 million vs our 4.3 million) over a 12 year period established that 1 stolen car everyday was involved in a crash of one type or another. 22% resulted in casualties and .6% fatalities that is 835 casualties and 24 deaths over 12 years.

How we rate in the world of road deaths is significant, NZ at 12th with 10 deaths per 100,000 and Australia 18th with 8 - not too bright when the only English speaking country worse than us is the USA.  In 2004 in SA theft involving collisions accounted for a direct cost of $AUD 17,000.000 how much more would that work out here -now that's a question that is much more frightening.

Of special mention in this report was the observation that in Australia they are experiencing a "Significant decline in car Theft" since 2000 with the introduction of their Federal Government "Car safe" initiative to encourage the Immobilisation of existing used cars, along with Australian Design Rules that requires new vehicles fitted with Immobilisers as standard equipment.  If in Australia they have embarked on a proactive (and insurance industry endorsed) campaign to immobilise their new and existing fleet, then where are we with Japanese imports accounting for almost half the new registrations annually and nearly 90% having no effective immobilisation?

New cars here in NZ on the other hand are equipped generally with immobilisers as a matter of course, with international standards of compliance filtering into the local models more by "accident" than by design but it's got to be a good thing either way. This report goes on to say that  1 in every  28  cars  stolen  end up  being  involved  in a crash. Our latest Police statistics reveal 21,198 cars were reported stolen last year (79.3%  never recovered!), applying the SA model 1 in 28 works out  to 757 crashes with 22% (166) likely to involve injury and .6% or 5 deaths this year. The only problem here is that we have a higher death rate, 20% higher infact, so this "assumption" is immediately flawed our figures could be 20% worse! SA in 2005 had 8540 thefts opposed to our 22,605, although more tellingly, 84% were recovered in South Australia against 19.2% here in Gods own!

Suffice to say that  we have all turned on the TV, picked up a newspaper or tuned into the radio news hour only to see, read and hear about another stolen car crashing into a house, collliding with other cars or simply out of control with often serious consequences. You "expect" to see a turbo DOHC variable valve timed AWD pimped up pocket rocket splattered over the countryside almost everyday and if the statistics are anything to judge by, you'd be right! if you don't have the time to read the full report, read the conclusions instead, it will make you think about the consequences of not fitting an immobiliser to your car - it's a start.

Immobilisers reduce the chance your car will be stolen 4X over cars not equipped with these and more specifically Standards Certified Immobilisers. This is according to the Australian Car Safe programme and their research is perhaps the most comprehensive in the world today. Unlike us, they appear to be more serious about car theft, they understand the greater social harm that is a result of car theft, how reducing car theft saves lives, innocent ones and more importantly you or a loved family member driving home from work or from school, on holiday with family only to be caught up in an accident involving a stolen car - an accident that right now is waiting to happen and fitting an immobiliser to your car is the most effective deterrent you can employ to say ENOUGH!