Kia, Hyundai models target of potential break-ins
Pictured: Steering wheel lock handed out to students. PHOTO CREDIT: Lucas Masiello | Staff Photographer
Due to a national increase of stolen cars, the University of Rhode Island Public Safety Department is giving out free steering wheel locks to Hyundai and Kia owners in the community.
According to Shawn Miner, coordinator of community outreach and education in the department of public safety, Kia’s and Hyundai’s manufactured between 2011 and 2021 are easier to be stolen due to the lack of an engine immobilizer. Specifically, cars that use a manual key rather than a push-to-start with a key fob are targets of these thefts.
An engine immobilizer is “an electronic device that arms automatically when your vehicle is switched off and prevents unauthorized starting of the vehicle,” according to a statement by the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s Theft Deterrent Program.
According to URI Police Chief Michael Jagoda, close to 1,000 URI community members have the specific Kia and Hyundai models that are being stolen. Due to this, he and Miner reached out to Kia and Hyundai to receive free steering wheel locks.
“We coordinated between Kia and Hyundai, and each separate company sent us a set amount of locks,” Miner said. “Right now, we have 122 steering wheel locks, and they were delivered in increments.”
Once the public safety department received the locks, they coordinated with URI’s Transportation and Parking department (TAP) to start a social media campaign spreading awareness through the community about the availability of the locks.
The locks are made of metal and stretch across the width of the steering wheel to prevent any movement of the wheel, according to Miner. Each lock comes with an individualized key. Some locks that the department received also have a device that hooks up to the backside of the brake pedal and the steering wheel, Miner said.
While people could “hypothetically” still start the vehicle even with a steering wheel lock in place, the lock prevents them from being able to turn the wheel and ultimately steal the car, Miner said.
While there have been no record of thefts of these cars on the URI campus as of yet, Jagoda said that with the amount of Kia and Hyundai owners on campus, they implemented this program as a “precautionary” to hopefully prevent any future thefts.
The URI public safety department isn’t the first police department in Rhode Island to provide steering wheel locks to their community. According to Jagoda, the East Providence Police Department established a similar program at the beginning of February, which inspired them to bring these safety measures to URI. The East Providence initiative has been “successful,” Jagoda said.
In order to receive a steering wheel lock, URI students and faculty can go to the public safety building, located at 44 Lower College Road, during regular business hours with their car registration, according to Miner. For students, it doesn’t matter if their cars are registered in their parents’ names or the student’s name.
There are multiple ways for all students, not just Kia and Hyundai owners, to prevent car thefts at URI, according to Jagoda. While the police department is actively patrolling parking lots throughout the day and using security cameras, Jagoda said to make sure all vehicles are locked and all valuable items be placed in a non-visible location, such as in the trunk, or brought with you.
The public safety department also partners with the URI shuttle drivers to report any suspicious activity they may see while driving around campus, he said.
Jagoda emphasized that if any student, staff or faculty member sees anything suspicious on campus, to contact the public safety department immediately.