Posted on 01/31/2023 9:21:28 PM PST by SeekAndFind
The "blame everyone but the criminals" strategy being employed in most major U.S. cities - and contributing to the increase in crime while emboldening future criminals - doesn't show signs of stopping anytime soon.
Case in point? The auto thefts in Seattle have gotten so bad that city attorneys in the liberal-run utopia are hilariously suing the manufacturers of Hyundai and Kia for failing to install anti-theft technology on their vehicles.
Talk about missing the point.
As Axios pointed out, auto thefts across the country have been on a surge over the last few years. In Seattle, Hyundai and Kia thefts were 620% higher than other auto brands. Perhaps this is what has motivated Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison to sue the manufacturers.
Most thefts have taken place in Northgate, Capitol Hill, Central District and Beacon Hill, the report says. "The city is seeking unspecified damages and asking the car manufacturers to fix the problem," Axios wrote.
The suit claims that "Hyundai and Kia failed to use immobilizer technology that ensured car ignitions could not be started without their keys long after other carmakers had adopted the same technology". This made the two brands of vehicles "easier to steal", the report says.
It also blames YouTube videos that "showed how to steal car models simply by removing a plastic piece under the steering wheel and using a USB cord and turning it like a key".
This, of course, takes the focus away from the rise in criminals attempting to get into property that isn't theirs to begin with. Perhaps someone should inform that the first thing someone needs to do to steal a car, is break and enter into property that isn't theirs. Maybe that'll help realign expectations before this suit is hastily thrown out of court.
Hyundai rightfully dismissed the lawsuit as "improper and unnecessary", telling Axios that "Hyundai Motor America has made engine immobilizers standard on all vehicles produced as of November 2021." They also said that "Owners of past models can also bring their vehicles to a local Hyundai dealer for the purchase and installation of a customized security kit..."
And, of course, this is why we expect the exodus from cities like Seattle, and those of its ilk, to continue.
Clown World.
Fighting crime is one of the handful of basic things for which government exists — that is what the city should be focusing.
Criminals aren’t to blame. They have to steal.
AOC on increased NYC crime: “Maybe this has to do with the fact that people aren’t paying their rent & are scared to pay their rent & so they go out & they need to feed their child & they don’t have money so... they feel like they either need to shoplift some bread or go hungry.”
///////
Having a new stolen car or selling it to a chop shop would gather more bread for the starving people.
Yup. Just like guns, blame inanimate objects for criminal behavior.
Liberal Washington thinks car thieves are victims of the cars!!
Same idea as “puffer” laws, ticket car owners for letting their vehicle warm up in the winter because someone might steal it.
“(Why do you rob banks, Willie?) Because that's where the money is.”
A litmus test for the court hearing this.
If it is not thrown out immediately the court is hopelessly corrupted.
amazingly Hyundai and Kia cannot sue the government for failure to prevent theft when government has the sole law enforcement authority, but government can sue Hyundai and Kia (who has no law enforcement authority) for failure to prevent theft.....
I don’t blame Kia for failing to install anti-theft measures in my 2016 Soul.
I do kinda blame them for the fact that breaking the rear window didn’t set off the alarm when someone tried to steal it on July 3rd.
But mostly I blame them for lying to me.
When my car was broken into in an attempt to steal it, my dealer told me there’d be difficulty find parts. And that surprised me not at all. The part they were waiting on was no longer used in current model years, and how many discontinued parts did they have on hand?
When it became clear that it was going to take more than a few days, I began considering buying a used car. I was driving a month-to-month rental, with my insurance company discount - $750/month. Uncomfortable but not a disaster.
After the first month I contacted Kia Customer Assistance and was given an expedited case number and was told that I should have my part in a couple of weeks. But I didn’t need to worry about it, Kia would reimburse me for the rental.
And so it went, month by month. The rental got more expensive, after the insurance company discount expired, and Kia kept telling me the part would be available. On November 16th they told me that the parts were still being manufactured and my part would fly out of Korea on November 24th. Well, if a shipment was sent, my dealer never got one.
So I finally gave up and bought the part on eBay, gave it to my dealer, they installed it, and I have my car back. (And I’ve installed an actual functioning alarm.)
After all of this - six months of them lying to me about being able to get the part, I submitted my reimbursement request, and was told they no longer reimburse for theft attempts.
So I’m out $6,000. Not because they didn’t install a theft-prevention system, but because they lied to me about being able to get the part, and about their reimbursing me for my rental expenses.
So if a criminal robs your house you can be sued for not installing a deadbolt?
I hoe the first judge that sees this case laughs them out of court and sanctions the attorneys.
criminals running the criminal empire
I am surprised that Seattle has not outlawed these cars in the city. That would take care of the problem. Communists never have problems with laws like that.
Will the judge call this abuse of the courts? It being utterly ridiculous and all…
I’d be happy to find a cheap way to get a backup key and/or key fob for my 2012 Kia Sportage. I’m not paying $300 to the dealer for keys!
If I were Kia and Hyundai, I would close all dealerships in Washington and declare problem solved.
It’s like blaming the woman wearing a short dress for getting raped.
Because Seattle won’t prosecute criminals, cops can’t pursue car thieves because it’s a non-violent crime.
Call a automotive locksmith in your area.
I have one on speed dial. I own a used car lot. He’s 40-75% cheaper than the dealer.
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