Do you know how to keep your vehicle from being stolen?

Jul. 14—A motor vehicle was stolen every 43.8 seconds in the United States in 2019, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, yet most people don't give much thought to the possibility their car will go missing when they're out and about.

Summers prove to be the worst season for this crime, which is why NHTSA wages its annual consumer education campaign, National Vehicle Theft Prevention Month, every July.

Vehicle theft is a multi-billion-dollar crime, with the cost of stolen vehicles coming in at about $6 billion in 2019 alone.

Nearly three-fourths of a million vehicles were swiped in 2019 — and nearly half of those thefts were due to what authorities call driver error.

In the war on vehicle theft in Pennsylvania, highly skilled investigators work in specialized units funded by the insurance industry, giving them access to the latest investigative tools to track thieves.

The Pennsylvania Vehicle Theft Prevention Authority says its biggest allies are Pennsylvania drivers themselves.

The simple habit of locking the car and taking the keys with you will significantly reduce the likelihood of having a car stolen. While this may sound like common sense, the data indicates that it's not common practice.

As a whole, in Pennsylvania vehicle theft task forces, including one covering Berks County, more than 50% of the stolen cars were left unlocked and with the keys inside.

The Pennsylvania Vehicle Theft Prevention Authority was created by the General Assembly in 1994, and since inception has contributed to a 77% decrease in the rate of motor vehicle thefts in the commonwealth, compared to a national decrease of 50%.

Task forces around the state are 100% funded through grants from the authority from revenue generated by annual assessments paid by nearly 400 auto insurance companies doing business in Pennsylvania. They target the individual joy rider out to steal a car as well as the complex, sophisticated international theft rings that smuggle high-end vehicles and cargo overseas.

Overview in Berks

The vehicle theft problem, in terms of numbers of reported incidents, isn't nearly as bad in Berks County as it was a decade or more ago.

Reading police Criminal Investigator Keith Merkel is assigned with another city investigator and a detective from the Berks County district attorney's office to a regional vehicle crimes task force supervised by the state police.

He was on the task force in 2012 when 536 vehicles were stolen in Reading. In each of the last five years, there have been fewer than 200 thefts annually in the city, according to the FBI Uniform Crime Report.

In 2020, there were 175 reported vehicle thefts in Reading, just over half of the 347 vehicle thefts reported in Berks County. The city consistently has about half of the county's yearly theft total.

Merkel said a lot of thefts involve older cars that are stolen mainly for their value in parts.

Some vehicle thefts are simply crimes of opportunity, unwittingly created when the owner leaves a key in the car.

"Occasionally you'll have people leave keys in their car, or leave a spare in the center console," Merkel said. "You'll have a guy that's looking for change and ends up stealing the car."

Although cars aren't being stolen at the rate they were a decade or so ago, it's still a problem, for both police and especially for anyone who has found an empty space where they last parked their car.

Once your car is stolen, it could be used by criminals to commit violent crimes. Also, the thief likely has a treasure-trove of your personal information to steal your identity, as maybe the remote garage-door opener will offer a chance to burglarize your home.

What to do

Law enforcement and transportation safety experts urge use of common sense when parking and exiting your vehicles, and provide the following tips:

— Take your vehicle's key, even if you're leaving it unattended for a minute or two.

— Always keep your car locked. A car door is the first thing a thief will check.

— Be aware of your surroundings, and be cautious about where you park. If possible, always choose a well-lit area that's in plain view.

— Don't assume your car is too old to steal; thieves want vehicle parts and valuable items, too.

— Do not leave your car unlocked, running and unattended. Whether you're just running out to grab a cup of coffee or warming the car before leaving for work, it only takes a thief seconds to steal your car and ruin your week.

— Don't leave valuables in your car. Leaving cellphones, mail, garage door openers, wallets, computers or other valuables in the car attracts thieves. Leaving mail and sensitive information in your car also leaves you vulnerable to identity theft. Leaving keys and garage door openers can also invite burglary to your home.

— Radios and wheel covers aren't the only popular stolen vehicle parts thieves take. They want whatever sells. Some of the most popular vehicle parts or valuable items stolen from vehicles include doors, engines, transmissions, air bags, radios and GPS units.