Car companies adopt anti-theft ID labels

A Melbourne-based firm, Identitek Systems, has developed a vehicle identification label which is expected to make it that much more difficult to 'rebirth' a stolen car.

The labels contain all the information normally reproduced on the riveted compliance plates traditionally fitted to new cars preparatory to wholesaling.

So far, Audi, HSV, Hyundai, Nissan and motorcycle importer Kawasaki have committed to the new labels, which offer the benefits of being durable, non-transferrable, easily authenticated and incapable of being copied.

Both the new identification system and the initiative of the companies adopting the system for their vehicles have been lauded by David Morgan (pictured), Chairman of the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council, and Robert McDonald, Head of Industry Research for Insurance Australia Group.

"There is no doubt that the traditionally poor standard of vehicle identification has played right into the hands of criminals by making it just too easy to convert a stolen vehicle into cash and making it almost impossible for authorities to later detect suspect vehicles with any certainty," said Morgan, who estimates 'cloning' or reidentification of stolen vehicles is worth tens of millions of dollars per annum to the bad guys.

The Identitek label was the only one of its kind to pass independent testing. Police and registration authorities will be supplied with a special viewing lens to check the authenticity of compliance labels in the field.

"For years IAG has been calling on vehicle manufacturers to lift their game on vehicle identification," says McDonald.

"Hyundai and Nissan pride themselves on innovation and their actions to be the first full-line manufacturers to adopt this new technology are further evidence of their commitment to delivering quality (and greater theft protection) to their customers. At very little cost this is something that all manufacturers should be adopting."

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