A story in The Mail on Sunday at the weekend (May 31) highlighted again the problem of thieves stealing cars equipped with keyless ignition systems, when Julia Bradbury, a presenter on Countryfile, had her Range Rover stolen outside her house in Notting Hill. It is nigh on impossible to steal a modern car without the key (the plot of Driving into Darkness). Smashing the window doesn’t cut it as a volumetric alarm will sound and the car won’t start without the introduction of its unique key, although a modern car key resembles a mini-computer more than it does the car key of twenty years ago. Now with the keyless ignition system, thieves can fool the driver into thinking the car is locked and make a new key fob using the diagnostic program built into the car’s electronics. My advice to anyone buying a new car is, if there is an option for keyless ignition, don’t take it. If your car is already equipped with the system and you park in the street, buy a steering wheel lock.
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