This apathetic attitude towards vehicle security was revealed by the Vehicle Theft Reduction Council of Malaysia (Vtrec).
It was reported yesterday that Malaysia ranked sixth in the world for car theft. According to Alex Lye, a spokesperson of Vtrec, Malaysia’s poor ranking was due to the apathy car manufacturers had towards vehicle security.
Elaborating, Lye explained that for years he tried to propose the use of Thatcham security, a globally known security standard for products that prevent car thefts.
“However, it (the proposal) has been falling on deaf ears,” he said.
“UK produced a car immobiliser and an installation system (via Thatcham). It then introduced it to all original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and within two years there was a drastic and fantastic 50 per cent reduction in vehicle theft in the country.
“In Malaysia, all we need to do is incorporate a Thatcham-certified product and Thatcham-certified installation system in all vehicles and our car-theft problem will go away. It is not even expensive to do so,” Lye told FMT.
He said, however, that auto manufacturers “do not bother” to implement the Thatcham standards here simply because it was not the law in Malaysia, unlike in England.
“I have spoken to many OEMs and they said that as long as it was not mandatory by law, they would not comply.”
Deploring the loss that car owners faced when their cars got stolen, he said, “It is a pity that there is no safety net for car owners or consumers. Once their vehicles are stolen, they are faced with loss of transport, having to spend extra money on transport while still servicing the vehicle loan.
“If the government is serious, then we should adopt a globally-accepted system. When our local cars are exported, they will be recognised in Europe, Australia and South Africa. A four-star rating on safety should be accompanied by a four-star rating in security.”
Yesterday, it was reported that an average of 60 vehicles were stolen every day across the country, ranking Malaysia as one of the top 10 countries in the world for vehicle thefts.
General Insurance Association of Malaysia (PIAM) Chief Executive Officer Mark Lim was quoted in a report in The Star Online as saying that for the first half of 2016, the insurance industry incurred claims amounting to RM2.41 billion that equalled to a RM13.2 million payout per day in motor claims for property damage, bodily injury and vehicle theft.