The SAS Survival Driver’s Handbook

Rust removers: These are both highly poisonous and highly corrosive. Avoid all skin and eye contact. If any is swallowed, call an ambulance. Do not induce vomiting.

Carbon monoxide: Inhalation causes sickness, chronic tiredness, muscular weakness. Victims should be helped outdoors or where there is a plentiful supply of fresh air, such as by an open window. Loosen restrictive clothing, especially around the neck and chest, and check that the victim is breathing. Administer artificial respiration and/or cardiac compression if necessary. Even if the victim claims to feel better afterwards, insist that they seek medical attention.

3 (#ulink_880f49fc-823c-5e59-b6d8-24510780ed9d)

VEHICLE SECURITY (#ulink_880f49fc-823c-5e59-b6d8-24510780ed9d)

Your car is one of your most valuable possessions. Even if it’s just an old banger, when someone steals or vandalizes your vehicle you suffer in cash terms (insurance excesses, loss of no-claims bonus), and, even worse, you’re deprived of your usual means of transport, having to rely instead on public transport — which may mean walking home from the nearest station or bus stop late at night — or cadging lifts from friends.

CAR CRIME (#ulink_cd665696-77d7-5d9b-bb21-179c60d07d25)

ANTI-THEFT DEVICES (#ulink_93eed03b-6ae1-556c-b2fc-32e20eaf9fda)

• Alarms (#ulink_45a77de5-2c41-5c54-8635-3996242c6627)

• Immobilizers (#ulink_3102dc4e-22ef-505c-9b0c-4610c8ce2e19)

• Tracking/recovery systems (#ulink_0f2c03bb-322c-57a5-b3d2-abf4eb03be50)

• Mechanical devices (#ulink_89863439-6e57-56f3-a0ca-ecfd3b744d94)

• Locks (#ulink_5fbc2462-ad1f-53da-a1b2-87ccd5b67e88)

DETERRENTS

• Etching

• Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

• Caravan security

• Vehicle watch (#ulink_ab875ed3-2ef7-5036-af5b-6b639add94d7)

BASIC PRECAUTIONS (#ulink_c54f7cf8-dee5-548c-af9a-9a1ade33e268)

• Don't advertise

• Radios

PARKING (#ulink_7941051d-6fa3-58bb-8f35-e9fd9ac37e1a)

• At home

VANDALIZED! (#ulink_2b989180-07db-5c0a-8cda-fb97dd471d22)

STOLEN! (#ulink_076a2f11-ac0f-5386-b636-71c1ad73da5d)

SECURITY CHECKLIST

• Parking Dos and Don'ts

Car Crime (#ulink_8de53549-9c1d-5ec0-a477-59662adc6e99)

Car crime is big business. Every year hundreds of thousands of cars are stolen or vandalized, forcing up insurance premiums and costing taxpayers millions in criminal justice costs. In the UK alone, a car is stolen every 60 seconds. Of these, around a third are stolen for ‘one-off use’, such as ‘joy riding’, or as a getaway vehicle after committing another crime, or just as a means for the thief to get home after missing the last bus. There’s a good chance that these cars will be recovered, because the thieves tend to dump them after a few hours, but more often than not they’re burned-out wrecks by that time — either damaged in a crash or vandalized.

A few years ago joy riding accounted for two-thirds of stolen cars, but now that honour goes to cars stolen by professional thieves. This is because of a boom in the market for secondhand parts — thieves steal popular makes and strip them down for spares. Old cars are possibly even more at risk than new ones (top of the thieves’ hit list in Britain is a 10-year-old Ford Escort 1.3), partly because the owners think that no one will be interested in stealing their old banger. New models and high-performance cars are likely to be ‘ringed’ — given a change of identity and sold on (possibly to an unsuspecting buyer). Whether it’s been ringed or stripped, once it’s been stolen there’s little chance of getting your car back.

And car crime doesn’t end with vehicle theft: in Britain a car is broken into and something stolen from it every 20 seconds. The cost of repairing the damage, let alone replacing the items stolen, can be considerable — so it’s well worth investing in the best security devices you can afford to protect your car. Some insurance companies will reduce premiums (by as much as 50 per cent in some cases) when an approved electronic security system is fitted.

Anti-Theft Devices (#ulink_1b3f1034-cf6d-5246-98bd-965227c76054)

It’s almost impossible to make a car totally thief-proof. What a security device can do, however, is to make access as difficult and time-consuming as possible to deter thieves. Most car thieves are opportunists, seizing upon easy targets — it takes only a matter of seconds and little effort to break into an unprotected car, and the chances of being caught are slim. A device that takes several minutes to disarm, and which sounds a piercing alarm the whole while, will make your car a much less attractive prospect.

There are hundreds of anti-theft devices on the market, ranging from inexpensive mechanical immobilizers such as steering wheel clamps to sophisticated (and costly) electronic systems. In deciding how much to spend you will need to think about the level of risk for your car (is it a high-performance car, attractive to thieves and a target for vandals), whether any security features have been incorporated by the manufacturer (such as built-in immobilizers or alarms), and the sort of areas you use your car in (do you have no choice but to park in the street or use high-risk inner-city car parks?).

Before buying any product, seek an unbiased opinion of its performance. It’s a good idea to check out reviews in motoring or consumer magazines — often a range of comparable devices will be put to the test and the results published. Or ask friends and colleagues what they use and whether they can recommend it.

Whichever security device you opt for, make sure it is as visible as possible to act as a deterrent. The idea is to let the thief know that breaking into your car will be more trouble than it’s worth, so that hopefully he’ll give up on the idea and move on to the next easy target. Use window stickers supplied by the manufacturer to advertise the fact that you’ve got a state-of-the-art electronic immobilizer/alarm fitted, because if the thief has to break in to find out it’s there you’ll be faced with an expensive bill for damage. [The downside of these stickers is that they alert professionals to what they can expect, but a determined pro will probably find his way round any security device if it’s worth his while, so settle for deterring the opportunist amateurs.) Electronic alarms usually have a flashing LED light display which can be seen from the side window. Mechanical devices tend to have neon yellow parts to catch the eye of the would-be thief.

ALARMS (#ulink_0c1cc362-ea16-5fab-9c07-db62e50b48b2)

An alarm should have a siren loud enough to warn you if anyone is tampering with your car and, hopefully, frighten off the would-be thief. In a recent official survey, convicted thieves were asked whether they would try to steal a car if they knew it was equipped with an alarm; 83 per cent said they would be deterred from tampering with the car, and that if an alarm sounded while they were trying to gain entry they would run away.

On the other hand, another survey aimed at members of the public found that the majority tend to ignore car alarms, assuming that it’s a false alarm. It’s important when selecting a car alarm to make sure that it is not going to be set off by a strong breeze or a passing car. In some countries, including Britain, local authorities have the power to prosecute owners of vehicles whose false alarms cause a nuisance. And thieves have been known to use the alarm to work to their advantage, by rocking a parked car to set off the alarm in the middle of the night and then hiding. Once the owner has reset the alarm and gone back to the house, the thieves emerge and rock the car again until the alarm sounds. By doing this several times, they fool the owner into thinking that the alarm is faulty. The owner then disconnects the alarm and the thieves can make off with the car in peace.

Many car manufacturers now offer built-in car alarms as an option. This is worth having, because even though a factory-fitted alarm may not be the most advanced system money can buy, it should offer a good level of protection and will have been tested and approved for your model of car.

If your car did not come with an alarm fitted, you need to decide whether you are going to buy a simple system that you can fit yourself, or pay an expert to fit something more sophisticated. Be warned, the cheaper and simpler it is to fit, the easier it will be for a thief to get around. For example, air-pressure-sensitive devices which you lock over the steering wheel are advertised as having a siren so piercing that the thief will be unable to drive because of the noise — in fact, thieves can rip these off and throw them out of the window in a matter of seconds. Alarms which use the car’s horn are also a doddle for thieves: the wires are usually fitted behind the engine grille — snip them and the alarm stops. If you’re on a tight budget, it’s probably best to opt for an alarm which can be expanded; buy the basic unit to start with and add the rest as and when your finances allow.

Go for the noisiest siren you can get. To make sure that thieves can’t silence the alarm by getting under the car and cutting the battery cable, get a system with a back-up battery. The method whereby you can switch off the alarm, should the need arise, varies: some use a hidden switch or a key in the siren unit, but the best are operated by remote control (which may also operate the car’s central locking). But be warned: these remote locking devices are not without risk. Illegal receivers, known as ‘grabbers’ can be used by thieves to copy your code as you lock the car; the code is then copied on to their own remote and transmitted to open your car. A grabber’s range is limited, so be suspicious of anyone standing close by holding a small box when you lock the car. The best remote control systems foil grabbers by automatically changing their code each time they are operated.

Remember to change the batteries of your remote control as often as the manufacturer recommends, or you won’t be able to deactivate the alarm.

Alarms can detect an intruder in a variety of ways, depending on which sensors they are fitted with:

Direct contact sensor. Electronic sensors in the doors, boot/hatch, bonnet trigger an alarm when forced open. This system won’t be activated if thieves smash a window to steal your radio.

Current and voltage-drop sensors detect changes in the car’s electrical system. If your vehicle is fitted with a cooling fan which runs even when the engine has been switched off, this system cannot be fitted. Again, there is no protection against a thief smashing the window.

Ultrasonic sensors detect changes in air pressure within the car and will trigger the alarm if someone smashes a window or gets in the car. The downside is that if it’s windy outside or if a passing vehicle creates a strong breeze, air coming through the vents can set off the alarm, so you have to remember to close all interior vents, windows and sunroof when you park the car (if you have a convertible with a soft roof, opt for another type of alarm altogether). Some sensors can be switched off, or the sensitivity adjusted — but don’t turn it down too far or the alarm may not go off when someone tries to break in.

Microwave sensors detect solid objects which pass through beams directed past all points of entry. Microwave systems are expensive, but less prone to false alarms. They are also suitable for convertibles, as even with the roof down the beams will trigger the alarm if anyone reaches inside the car.

Shock sensors detect sudden shocks, like someone trying to smash their way in or vandalize the car. The sensitivity needs to be adjusted to avoid false alarms every time another vehicle passes by.

Tilt sensors react to the car being lifted, thus preventing anyone loading the car on to another vehicle or towing it away.

Other features worth having include a panic button, so that if you are attacked when in or near your car the alarm will sound; a status monitor, to notify you (usually by means of the LED display) that the alarm has been activated while you were away from the car; and finally, perhaps the most useful secondary feature of all, engine immobilization to disable the electrics and prevent the car starting when the alarm goes off.