NCJ Number
130371
Journal
Sociology and Social Research Volume: 75 Issue: 3 Dated: (April 1991) Pages: 107-116
Date Published
1991
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Data from official records, insurance companies, and the automobile industry for 1987 passenger cars were used to test three related beliefs about automobile theft that underlay the Motor Vehicle Theft Law Enforcement Act passed by Congress in 1984.
Abstract
The new law detects the sellers of stolen parts in the auto body repair industry by calling for the marking of the major sheet-metal parts of high-theft automobiles with Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINS). The law was based on the beliefs that variations in auto theft rates can be explained by (1) variations in demand for spare sheet-metal parts; (2) variations in the costs of sheet-metal parts; and (3) variations in the extent to which individual models have parts that are interchangeable with the parts of other models. Results showed no compelling support for any of these claims. Thus, cars designated as "high-theft lines" were generally no more likely to be cars disproportionately involved in collisions, cars with expensive sheet-metal parts, or those with many parts interchangeable with other cars. Findings suggested that the role that demand for cheap spare parts plays in auto theft has been exaggerated. Notes and 38 references