ATVs -- Easy Targets for Thieves.

All-terrain vehicles are popular targets for thieves. In the US, the FBI reported that a powersport vehicle (ATV, snowmobile, motorcycle) is stolen every 8.5 minutes. In the UK, ATVs are ten times more likely to be stolen than a tractor, according to a report from NFU Mutual in Farmers Weekly.

Without cabs, the ignition system and controls of an ATV are easily accessible, making it easy to "hot wire" the engine. Because they are relatively small and lightweight, they can be easily lifted into the back of a truck or van. Unfortunately, some stolen ATVs are simply driven away because the keys were left in the ignition or in an obvious hiding place.

ATV users should be security conscious in locking or protecting their vehicles. NFU suggests locking the ATV in a shed, getting it out of sight and removing the ignition key.

Security lights and alarms can provide a deterrent if the ATV is in an environment that is not too remote. Microchips installed on the ATV can also be a deterrent, if people know the identification is installed, and they offer some hope of recovering stolen vehicles. One security company recommends applying up to 100 or more micro dots of information on various parts of the machine so that even scavenged parts can be identified.

Several companies are providing more physical means of protecting ATVs from theft. Some of the more common devices are padlocks which connect the wheel hub to an anchor bolt, hardened chains and wheel clamps that fit snugly around an ATV wheel. Another device roots an ATY to the spot by using two thick steel arms secured at one end into a base set in concrete and fastened at the other end to the quad's rear axle.

Kryptonite Corporation suggests maximum security from ride-away, roll-away and lift-away theft by securing an ATV with its New York Noose, a heavy-duty chain, to the Stronghold Security Anchor, a permanent/fixed anchor ring.

Dealers and suppliers who get inquiries about ignition repairs or replacement components should be suspicious as to ownership. Some manufacturers are building vehicles with anti-hot wire devices which make the ignition system inoperable, so thieves may seek help in repairing them. (Some of this information was summarized from the article, "Don't let 'em nab your quad too easily..." in Farmers Weekly, a UK publication.)