WELCOME - APPROVED SECURITY

Government initiative to reduce vehicle crime

The proposal to make immobilisers mandatory for light passenger vehicles is one of six initiatives in the Ministry of Justice's Vehicle Crime Reduction Programme. This programme was initiated as part of the Government's Crime Reduction Strategy, which made the reduction of vehicle crime a priority.

This proposal is specifically targeted at reducing opportunistic vehicle theft, which is the theft of a vehicle for a short-term purpose (for example, for joyriding, as means of transport, or to facilitate the commission of another offence). Vehicles are often recovered but, in many cases, in a damaged condition. The Police estimate that 70% - 80% of vehicle theft in New Zealand is opportunistic.

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We are always upgrading its list of approved security products so ask for a quote or to get advise from the

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If an immobiliser is not installed at the time of manufacture, how can it be fitted later?

Installing an immobiliser typically involves grafting an electronic device onto the vehicle’s wiring loom. It is understood that it usually takes around two to three hours to install an immobiliser.

What is the risk to the vehicle if an immobiliser is not fitted correctly?

If an immobiliser is not fitted correctly, it could damage a vehicle’s engine management system. This risk is reduced if a properly trained and qualified auto electrician installs the device.

Likewise, fitting an immobiliser after manufacture could, in some circumstances, be considered to be interference with the engine management system, which may invalidate the vehicle’s warranty.

Can all vehicles be fitted with an immobiliser?

No, not all vehicles can be fitted with an immobiliser. For example, some older cars do not have an electronic base or a central wiring loom into which an immobiliser can be wired. Consequently, an immobiliser could not be fitted into such a system. However, as the proposed amendment Rule applies only to vehicles under eight years old, it is expected that few vehicles subject to this requirement will not be able to comply.

If a vehicle needs to be fitted with an immobiliser, by whom, when and where will this work be undertaken?

Should fitting of an immobiliser be required, the work is best done by a properly trained and qualified auto electrician at a time and place convenient to the importer, prior to final entry certification.

If an immobiliser has to be fitted, will this increase the time it takes to certify imported vehicles?

It is estimated it will take around five minutes to establish whether or not an immobiliser has been fitted to a new or used vehicle. If an immobiliser has to be fitted, it should take around two to three hours to do so provided a properly trained and qualified auto electrician, with the correct components, is available to do the work.

In cases where those vehicles do not have an immobiliser fitted before importation, this process will increase the time that a vehicle is held at entry certification sites but decrease the physical movement/transportation of imported vehicles before they can be sold.

What will it cost to meet the proposed new immobiliser requirement?

The cost of an after-market immobiliser could be as low as $150 (including the cost of fitting).

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Determining whether an operational immobiliser is fitted

It is proposed that compliance with the immobiliser requirement would be checked as part of Land Transport NZ's existing vehicle entry compliance process.

The industry consultation paper noted that it would be essential to determine:

• if an immobiliser is fitted in a vehicle;
• that the fitted immobiliser is operational; and
• that a fitted and operational immobiliser meets the appropriate standard.

Vehicle importers would be required to source an immobiliser, when a vehicle was imported without one.

What percentage of vehicles imported into New Zealand are already fitted with an immobiliser?

The new car industry advises that approximately 98% of new vehicles imported into New Zealand are already fitted with an immobiliser on arriving in New Zealand. However, it is not possible to estimate accurately the percentage of used imported vehicles that are pre-fitted with an immobiliser.

The estimates provided by industry groups in their comments on the consultation paper varied, in some cases markedly. In part, the difficulty lies in distinguishing an immobiliser from a central locking system or alarm system.

In the consultation paper, the Ministry of Transport estimated that a significant percentage of used vehicles imported into New Zealand had immobilisers fitted.

Feedback on the consultation paper indicated that this estimate was too high. Consequently, a further survey was conducted in Japan and the percentage of used vehicles fitted with immobilisers appears to be closer to 18%. The survey was of five hundred post-2000, Japanese domestic vehicles bound for New Zealand. Of the 500 vehicles, only 90 registered as having a transponder in the key and just one had a remote alarm/central locking system which incorporated an immobiliser.

It is certain, however, that over time there will be a significant increase in the percentage of vehicles imported with an immobiliser, because this technology is standard equipment for new vehicles.

Vehicle standards approach

The consultation paper suggested that the joint Australian-New Zealand Standards AS/NZS4601 1999 and AS/NZS3749.1 2004 appeared suitable for adoption for the mandatory vehicle immobiliser initiative. Submissions on the consultation paper confirmed the need to adopt a ‘smorgasbord’ approach for overseas standards to ensure that all immobilisers fitted as part of a manufacturing process would be deemed as being compliant.

However, given the practical difficulties of gaining access to an immobiliser in a vehicle, and of then determining whether or not it is operating, it is proposed not to proceed with a standards-based approach for determining compliance.

Types of immobiliser

There are three main types of vehicle immobilisation device.

1. Proximity. These are controlled by a passive transponder embedded within the ignition key. A passive transponder has no power of its own, but is activated when it is in close proximity to the ignition barrel. It is read by the vehicle’s electronic system, deactivating the immobiliser while the transponder remains in position.
2. Remote control. A remote control is a battery-powered device (which is either an infrared or radio frequency transmitter) used to send a coded signal to a receiver on the vehicle that activates or deactivates the immobiliser.
3. Coded plug. This is an electronic key that plugs into a socket in the vehicle to deactivate the immobiliser. Although it needs to be inserted and removed from the vehicle moments before the engine starts, a coded plug operates in a similar way to a passive transponder.

Proposed alternatives for determining compliance

(1) Key test

It is proposed that the ‘test’ set out below could be used to determine whether an immobiliser is fitted. The test would consist of two parts, either of which, if successful, would be deemed sufficient evidence of the presence of an immobiliser.

Part 1

Part 1 of the proposed test would entail the use of a ‘key reading’ device. The ignition key would be inserted into a reader that would detect whether a transponder was present in the key. If the key was fitted with a transponder, this could be taken as evidence of the presence of an immobiliser.

Part 2

If a remote control is present, the system would be activated with a remote control device (or, in the case of a coded plug, without using the plug), and an attempt made to start the vehicle using the ignition key. If the vehicle failed to start, this could be taken as evidence of the presence of an immobiliser.

(2) Manufacturer's evidence

Alternatively, if sufficient evidence (eg, statement of compliance) from the vehicle manufacturer is provided, confirming the presence of an immobiliser, this would be accepted as evidence of compliance with the Rule.

New imported vehicles are certified largely on the basis of the compliance papers provided by the vehicle manufacturer. Vehicle importers would have to approach individual manufacturers/exporters to obtain immobiliser details.

(3) Retro-fitting of immobilisers

If a certifier is unable to confirm that an immobiliser is fitted to a vehicle using one of the above methods, the vehicle would have to be retro-fitted with an immobiliser.

Retro-fitting of immobilisers

Helpful information was received from the vehicle industry and the vehicle security industry on the logistics of the after-market fitting of immobilisers.

This included details of the level of skills required to fit an immobiliser competently and the corresponding training required to produce suitably qualified technicians.

From the comments received, it appears that the industry is either developing systems or has systems in place to train people to install immobilisers.

Currently, the vehicle security industry fits approximately 5000 immobiliser units each month throughout New Zealand. These are purchased voluntarily by vehicle owners for vehicles that are in service. Some of these units would be replacements for immobilisers that are no longer functioning properly.

Risks from installing immobilisers after-market

Immobilisers are usually concealed behind the dashboard, requiring the removal of panels to gain access for fitting. The risk of damage to a vehicle's engine management systems, as a result of an immobiliser not being properly installed after-market, was raised in industry comments on the consultation paper.

Based on the information received from the industry, it appears inevitable that some immobiliser systems will fail. This will be more common when immobilisers are installed after-market (although it is not anticipated that problems with immobilisers will be common). This, in turn, will impact on the operation of the vehicle.

Immobiliser failure, and the risk of damage to an engine, can be minimised if the systems are installed by suitably-trained technicians.

Not all vehicles can be fitted with an immobiliser after-market

The Ministry of Transport and Land Transport NZ are aware that not all vehicles may be able to be fitted with an immobiliser after-market. For example, some older vehicles do not have an electronic base or a central wiring loom into which an immobiliser can be wired. An immobiliser could, therefore, not be inserted into such a system.

However, given that the mandatory immobiliser requirement would apply only to vehicles under eight years of age that enter New Zealand from the time the Rule comes into force, it is expected that few vehicles subject to this requirement would be unable to be brought into compliance.

Matters to be taken into account

The Land Transport Act 1998 provides the legal framework for making Land Transport Rules. Section 161 states the procedures by which the Minister of Transport makes ordinary rules.

Application of Rule-making criteria

Section 164 of the Act states the matters to be taken into account in making a Rule. In making ‘ordinary rules’, the Minister is required to give such weight as he or she considers appropriate in each case to a number of matters, which are discussed below.

The Act was amended in 2004 to reflect the overarching importance of the government's New Zealand Transport Strategy (NZTS). The NZTS envisages that, by 2010, New Zealand will have an affordable, integrated, safe, responsive and sustainable transport system.

Proposed activity or service

Section 164(2)(b) of the Act requires that appropriate weight be given to the nature of the proposed activity or service for which the Rule is being established.

The proposed activity or service that is covered by this amendment Rule is the mandatory fitting of vehicle immobilisers to new and imported used light passenger vehicles that are under eight years old when entering New Zealand.

Risk to land transport safety

Sections 164(2)(a), (c) and (d) of the Act require the Minister to take into account the level of risk to land transport safety in each proposed activity or service, the level of risk to land transport safety in general in New Zealand, and the need to maintain and improve land transport safety and security.

Stolen vehicles are often involved in Police pursuits. Making vehicles more secure by requiring that they be fitted with devices to help prevent them from being used by unauthorised, and possibly unlicensed, drivers would also help to improve road safety. In 2007, there were 279 crashes involving stolen vehicles (which resulted in 33 minor injuries, 12 serious injuries, and one fatality).

The proposed immobiliser requirement would contribute to the objectives of the NZTS by reducing financial costs to individuals, industry and government that are incurred as a result of vehicle crime. It would also contribute to increased safety and personal security.

Assisting achievement of government's strategic objectives

Economic development, access and mobility, public health and environmental sustainability.

Section 164(2)(e) of the Act requires that the Minister have regard to, and give such weight as he or she considers appropriate, to whether a proposed Rule:

1. assists economic development;
2. improves access and mobility;
3. protects and promotes public health; and
4. ensures environmental sustainability.

The proposed amendment would help to protect and promote public health by helping to prevent vehicle theft, which often results in stolen vehicles being driven in an unsafe manner (for example, by ‘joy- riders’) and being involved in crashes. The proposed amendment will also help to assist economic development by reducing the costs associated with vehicle theft.

The mandatory immobiliser proposal would not directly contribute to achieving the other objectives listed above.

International considerations

Sections 164(1) and 164(2)(f) of the Act require that Rules not be inconsistent with New Zealand's international obligations concerning land transport safety, and that international circumstances in respect of land transport safety be taken into account.

New Zealand does not have any international obligations in relation to the use of immobilisers. In developing the proposed amendment Rule, account has been taken of best practice in overseas jurisdictions, specifically the United Kingdom and Western Australia, which have legislated for the compulsory installation of immobilisers.

What are the benefits and costs of the Rule amendment proposal?

Benefits of proposal

The benefits associated with the proposed mandatory vehicle immobiliser requirement, as advised by the Ministry of Justice and the Police, and set out in the consultation paper, include:

• reduced vehicle theft;
• the potential for reduced insurance premiums;
• increased road safety (fewer vehicles would be stolen thereby reducing the safety risks to road users in the vicinity of a stolen vehicle involved in a Police pursuit);
• savings in Police time as a result of fewer vehicles being stolen;
• increased social well-being and less societal fear of crime.

Reduced vehicle theft

Submitters on the consultation paper unanimously agreed that a mandatory vehicle immobiliser requirement would decrease the opportunistic theft of vehicles. This should correspond to a reduction in Police resources required to investigate crimes involving motor vehicles.

There are reports from overseas that would-be car thieves have broken into vehicle owners' homes in order to find keys if they are thwarted in their attempt to start the vehicle.

The proposed amendment is aimed, however, at opportunistic theft, rather than that carried out by experienced car thieves.

Reduced insurance premiums

Agreeing with the benefits outlined in the consultation paper, the Insurance Council of New Zealand estimated that vehicle crime (including theft from vehicles) costs New Zealand $60 million annually. The biggest risk for vehicle losses of motor vehicle insurers comes from collision-damage claims.

Although it cannot be assumed that insurance premiums will automatically decrease as a result of the proposed immobiliser requirement, a significant reduction in vehicle theft over time would be likely to result in decreased premiums.

Some industry groups have noted that an immobiliser is often required by insurance companies as a condition of insurance, or to lower a premium and, therefore, a regulatory approach was not required. It is acknowledged that the insurance industry is effective at ensuring that vehicles with a high risk of theft have immobilisers fitted, and that other prudent measures are taken to protect these vehicles.

A significant degree of opportunistic vehicle theft is the result of the ineffective security of many used imported vehicles. A much lower percentage of used imported vehicles entering New Zealand are fitted with immobilisers compared with new vehicles. The mandatory immobiliser requirement is largely targeted at securing these vulnerable, used imported vehicles.

Costs of proposal

The industry consultation paper sought information about the cost of an immobiliser unit and its installation and other specific costs of complying with the proposed immobiliser requirement.

Buying and fitting an immobiliser

It is expected that compulsory vehicle immobilisation will add $200 to $300 (including installation) to the purchase price of a passenger car that is not fitted with an immobiliser.

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Do I need a rated car alarm for my insurance company?

NO YOU DO NOT !

The insurance council of New Zealand only requests that the system fitted to your vehicle is fitted professionally has a means of immobilisation and will sound a siren or horn if activated, in most cases just an immobiliser is adequate. They prefer the system to be either Australian / New Zealand standard or the Thatcham (European) standard or VESA (South Africa) standard.

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What are the insurance standards?

Many insurance companies now require customers to fit an approved security system before they will insure certain ‘at risk’ vehicles &/or they will offer a percent discount on your insurance premiums if you have an approved security system fitted.

The insurance standards began to be introduced in 2000 / 2001 & are still being implemented across New Zealand.

This means at the moment there is not one definitive list of at risk vehicles & your insurance company will have its own requirements.

The main criteria for a security system to be “insurance approved” is that it is tested and certified to either the relevant Australian / New Zealand standard or the Thatcham (European) standard or VESA (South Africa) standard.

Please take a moment to read through the information on the website about the insurance standards.

We also strongly recommend you contact your insurance company.

What is the difference with a standards certified alarm?

Currently, most car security brands will have some standards certified alarms within their range.

This means the alarm model must pass a rigorous testing process by a certified & independent testing company.

Not only does the model need to offer a certain level of specifications (see below), the electrical components & remotes also need to pass testing.

This is good news for you the customer.

There are many vehicle security systems on the market from do-it-yourself systems to paging and tracking systems.

Standards certification is the first step in helping the customer know that the product they are buying will meet their insurance company requirements.

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Not all vehicles require a standards certified system.

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Many non-certified models still offer a good level of protection.

Even if you don’t require a standards certified alarm please make sure you understand the different features available & make an informed choice about the best alarm for your car.

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What kind of features do standards certified alarms need?
There are currently four standards (or tests) that an alarm model can pass.

For more details about the features please refer to our Products page.

AS/NZS 4601:1999 (Australian / New Zealand vehicle immobiliser systems standard)
This standard covers vehicle immobiliser systems that must, among many other things, include:

Two normally open immobiliser circuits (if the circuits are normally ‘open’ it means the alarm has to be de-activated to ‘close’ the circuits. The circuits have to be closed for power to get to that part of the car. So, even if your alarm is tampered with, the immobilisers will stay active & the car will not be able to start)

Automatic immobilisation

All black wires

PIN code override with a minimum of 10,000 combinations

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Note:

Although alarm features are not included in the AS/NZS 4601:1999 standard these immobiliser systems still offer excellent protection.

Some immobiliser systems which are certified to AS/NZS 4601:1999 may also be upgraded to a full alarm system.

Thatcham Cat2 (European vehicle immobiliser systems standard)
Thatcham Cat2 covers vehicle immobiliser systems and is similar to the AS/NZS 4601:1999 standard.

Additional features include a steel case around the control module.

AS/NZS 3749:2003 (New Zealand/Australian vehicle alarm systems standard)
This standard covers vehicle alarm and immobiliser systems and replaces AS/NZS 3749:1997.

It covers 4601:1999 immobilisation requirements PLUS additional requirements including a battery back-up siren, volume sensors (ultrasonics, glass break or microwave).

Thatcham Cat1 (European vehicle alarm systems standard)
Thatcham Cat1 covers vehicle alarm and immobiliser systems and is similar to the AS/ NZS 3749:2003 and VESA standard.

Additional features include a steel case around the control module and a data linked battery backup siren that offers better security.

VESA (South African alarm and immobiliser Standard)

VESA Covers vehicle alarms and immobiliser systems and similar to both standards AS/NZS and Thatcham

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