Back-seat Driver: Do home burglars prey on car registration?

By Tony Bizjack

Do you keep a garage door opener clipped to your car visor? Ever worry a thief might break in, get your address from your vehicle registration papers and use the clicker to get into your house?

Reader Jay O’Brien does. He wonders whether it’s legal to redact your address from your car registration documents. “It seems to me it’s something we should all be concerned about.”

A code check shows drivers must have an address listed on the registration card, but the law allows it to be a work address or post office box instead of home.

Why is that necessary if police can check the state computer system for info? Police say having the info readily available on paper speeds their work, especially reconnecting with people whose cars were stolen.

That said, O’Brien’s concern intrigued us. How often do thieves commit the crime he mentioned?

We checked with the Sacramento County sheriff, and Sacramento police, as well as the Insurance Information Network of California. None recalled hearing of this exact crime happening, but all agreed it could.

Are there any protections against it, other than putting a business address on the registration?

You can put the remote in a magnetic box and attach it at a …  Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/06/06/3679142/back-seat-driver-do-home-burglars.html#ixzz1OVgsgAUn

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