Security Officer Article

The Car Security Index – Determine What You Need for Your Car

Depending on where you live and what type of car you have the risk of your car being stolen will be different. You should consider using the Car Security Index to determine what type of car security product you will need for your car. The Car Security Index will use the type of car you have, how old it is and how large of a place you live in when determining what you need.

The first part of the Car Security Index is the type of car that you have. A station wagon is the safest car in that its Car Security Index rating is the lowest. A passenger van is more of a risk, and a sedan will be next in line. A luxury car and a sport utility vehicle both have the second highest risk of being stolen. A sports car has the highest risk on the Car Security Index.

The age of your car is another factor. You’ll need to add a point onto your car’s Car Security Index if it is less than ten years old and another point if it is less than five years old.

The size of the city is another factor in the Car Security Index. There are five classes of cities to consider. One with a population of less than 10,000 is the lowest risk, followed by the 10,000-50,000 range, the 50,000-100,000 range, the 100,000-250,000 range and cities larger than 250,000 in population.

Here’s how you can determine your Car Security Index. First, consider what type of car you have. The basic Car Security Index for a car in a town of less than 10,000 people should be used first. The Car Security Index for a station wagon there is 0, and it is 1 for a van, 3 for a sedan, 4 for an SUV or luxury car and 5 for a sports car. You will need to add two points for every higher population level that you are at (add 8 if you live in a city of 250,000 or more, etc.). Then you will have to add a point if your car is less than ten years and another if it is less than five years old.

Here’s an example. Let’s say you have an SUV from 1994 in a city with 160,000 people. You’ll have four points at the start, and since you are in the fourth population level you’ll need to add six points to your Car Security Index. The index for that car will be 10.

For a sports car from 2004 in a city of 80,000 people the index would be 11. (five base points plus four and another two for age)

If your Car Security Index is less than six then your car will not need any additional security features. An auto alarm is recommended if yours is between seven and ten, and if it is between eleven and thirteen a battery circuit or immobilizer will be recommended. For anything higher then that you will need to do even more for your car even if it means using five different security products at once because the car will be at a very high risk of being stolen.