If You Don't Want Your Car Stolen, Make It Pink

pickens writes "A study in the Netherlands illustrates car thieves' preferences. From 2004-2008, the most commonly colored vehicle stolen was black. This may be because black vehicles look more luxurious. Following close behind black were gray/silver automobiles. Of the 109 pink cars in the study, not one was stolen. A bright and uncommon color, like pink, may be as effective deterrent as an expensive security system. Ben Vollaard, who conducted the research, wrote, 'If the aversion to driving a car in an offbeat color is not too high – or if someone actually enjoys it – then buying deterrence through an uncommon car color may be at least as good a deal as buying deterrence through an expensive car security device.'"

Comments

Hm...

[betterunixthanunix]

Of course, if everyone who didn't want their car stolen drove a pink car, then thieves would start stealing pink cars, and some other color would become the least popular.

Solution to theft

[quatin]

Have stuff nobody wants.

Maybe it's simpler than that.

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps the thieves prefer to drive something hard to pick out of a crowd?

Pretty easy to find the stolen pink anything. Not as easy to find the stolen blue Civic. If you have a choice of cars (and in most cases thieves do) you'd pick something you can get away with for longer.

Resale Value

[bencollier]

Of course, the crazy colour will also affect resale value, so the money you save in insurance you lose in depreciation.