Insurer Group Assists Auto Theft Prevention Efforts in SE Texas

The Insurance Council of Texas (ICT) announced it has joined with the Texas Auto Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority in a crime prevention campaign aimed at preventing auto thefts and auto burglaries in southeast Texas. The program involves the funding and distribution of signs that read, “LOCK your car, TAKE your keys and HIDE your belongings.”

Task forces in the Beaumont and Galveston areas will each receive LOCK, TAKE and HIDE signs that will be distributed and placed throughout the southeast Texas region. The program is just one of several crime prevention efforts that the Task Force will utilize to prevent auto thefts and burglaries in the area. Other efforts include surveillance operations, intelligence gathering and public advertising.

In Texas, an estimated 100,000 vehicles are stolen and another 250,000 are burglarized each year. It is also estimated that half of the vehicles stolen had the drivers’ keys left in the ignition and/or unlocked doors.

The LOCK, TAKE and HIDE signs will be placed in large public and private parking areas such as shopping malls, city parks, restaurants, apartment complexes and other areas where there is parking congestion.

Insurance Council of Texas spokesman Mark Hanna said the LOCK, TAKE and HIDE signs have become one of the more popular crime prevention programs that Task Force members have utilized to deter criminals as well as offer good advice for drivers.

“The Insurance Council of Texas is honored to be a part of a program that urges motorists to protect their automobile and their belongings through this simple message,” said Hanna. “The signs should also serve as a reminder for everyone to be aware of their surroundings when they are leaving and entering their vehicle.”

ICT initially started the crime prevention program in Austin on March 2, 2005, and has since begun similar programs in Round Rock, Garland, Mesquite, Frisco, Celina, Del Rio, Houston, Laredo, Brownsville and Highland Village.

Source: The Insurance Council of Texas, www.insurancecouncil.org