A thief approaches a parked car and spots a laptop computer on the front seat. He quickly breaks the side window, grabs the laptop and runs off. It only takes a few seconds. This type of “smash and grab” theft could victimize owners of many types of vehicles, but not owners of the new Volvo S60 Sedan.
Volvo is offering side windows made from Enhanced Protective Glass (EPG) as an option on all S60 models. Besides the S60, Volvo also offers EPG on its S80 and V70 models. Tests have shown that it takes repeated cracks to break through the EPG-equipped vehicle and could take up to two minutes to gain entry. According to police experts, that two minutes is more than enough time to convince a thief to try elsewhere. “If a thief has to stand there and pound on the window, he won’t spend the time,” says Detective John Nelson of the Seattle Police Department’s Auto Theft Unit. *****Top Cities for “Smash-&-Grab” Theft (1998)***** City: Thefts from autos: New York, NY 45,645 Los Angeles, CA 31,298 Houston, TX 17,765 Philadelphia, PA 15,380 Austin, TX 15,262 Detroit, MI 15,059 Baltimore, MD 13,596 Dallas, TX 12,884 San Diego, CA 12,147 San Francisco, CA 11,548
Thefts from vehicles are only part of the problem, however. Police experts report that gaining access by smashing a side window is also a common modus operandi for thieves intending to steal the vehicle itself.