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Expanding
the use of anti-theft devices:
The
nation's property and casualty insurance company trade associations
and the National Insurance Crime Bureau have submitted comments
to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding
the agency's proposal to expand automobile parts marking requirements.
The National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies has successfully
coordinated joint efforts by The Alliance of American Insurers,
the American Insurance Association, and the National Association
of Independent Insurers.
The
practice of marking vehicle parts makes law enforcement's job easier.
Once parts are marked using tools that have been developed over
the past few years, even defaced serial numbers can be read using
new technology. Parts that are sold in junkyards and as "remanufactured"
can be identified by police as stolen. Officers can then identify
the original owner of the car and systematically track where stolen
parts are coming from and the businesses involved. This should
lead to more convictions for car theft, and trafficking of stolen
parts.
Jennifer
C. Gibson, the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies
director of affairs, said "In order for parts marking to truly
be an effective tool for law enforcement, the requirements
should be universal, and the markings should be permanant."
With the technological advances and the market changes that have
taken place, the industry urges the Federal Government to look at
alternative solutions that could be more effective in the fight
against auto theft. |
