I suppose once you get past the idea of a "bait car" as a form of entrapment, there's nothing wrong with sweetening the lure with a laptop,  iPod, cell phone or some other piece of easily fenced consumer electronics on display. And if those items blow up when the prospective perp moves them, leaving the criminal "disorientated" and covered in bright red smoke and dye, well why not? As 24dash.com reports, not only is the methodology effective, it provides PR-hungry public servants with a highly appropriate metaphor. "I want every criminal to know that if they break into someone’s car locally there is a very good chance they will be caught red handed," Hammersmith and Fulham [London] Councillor Greg Smith opined. "And be covered in bright red dye as proof off their crimes.” Bonus! The indelible dye's provided by 3SI security systems ("the leader in currency protection"). It transfers onto the electrical equipment itself, "meaning middle men and fences handling stolen goods pay for their crimes as well as the original thief." Which begs the question: how did a bait car thief evade the police in the first place?

As Gil Grissom might say, the evidence is incomplete. But Automotive News [AN, sub] is confirming what TTAC and TrueDelta have been saying since the dawn of time: car dealers are rigging customer satisfaction scores. In this case, it's not the usual "please give us all 10 out of tens or we'll have to shoot our sales manager and orphan his children" type fraud. AN reports that an unnamed number of GM dealers have been sending the mothership fake CSI mail-in forms and filing bogus on-line survey responses to scarf hundreds of thousands of dollars in corporate bonuses. GM sent an "unsigned bulletin" to dealers on August 14 announcing "appropriate adjustments" to third-quarter survey scores "to reflect interference." Needless to say, GM claims the fraud isn't widespread. Just obvious. Let the wrist-slapping begin!

Our series on really obvious safety tips continues courtesy of H.E.A.T (Help Eliminate Auto Thefts). The Michigan-based, insurance company-funded organization wants you to know that fall is car theft season. In fact, October is "the second-highest month for auto-related crimes" (how months get high is anyone's guess). What's more, "thieves prefer the beginning and end of the school week, Monday and Friday, as favorite days to steal vehicles [and] favor vehicles that are black, gray and white." Sorry, I know, that's new information. Let's get to the good stuff: how to protect your cherished whip from clever car thieves. H.E.A.T. recommends you close your windows all the way, keep your valuables out of sight, never leave your vehicle running and unattended (a gentle jog with a friend is OK), install an alarm with a "visible flasher" (invisible flashers are useless), etch your VIN number on your windows (dealers love this) and install a hidden kill switch (to confound those pesky valet parkers). I'll start the bidding with: never park next to a vehicle resting on breeze blocks. 

Reuters reports that a team of Australian TV comedians drove a three car motorcade (complete with motorcycle outriders) straight through three security checkpoints in the center of Sydney. The Gateway to Australia is currently hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group forum, where 21 world leaders are gathering amidst what was thought to be tight security. Embarrassed police reacted with a predictable combination of derision and misplaced anger. "Whilst I enjoy like everyone else a good laugh, this isn't funny" local police Superintendent Dave Owens told reporters. "I'm very angry that such a stunt like this could be pulled." Well, that's what you get when you deploy decoy motorcades to confuse terrorists. Anyway, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer claimed the stunt proved the security arrangements worked. "They presumably were … aiming to humiliate a lot of well-known people. The point is they were in any case arrested." Uh, I think the point is that the security arrangements were a dismal failure. The fake Osama Bin laden drove within meters of the hotel where President Bush will be staying; close enough to destroy the building with one– never mind three- car bombs. 

Like most U.S. states, Connecticut has a "lemon law" for consumers who buy a defective vehicle. In the Constitution state, the offending manufacturer must provide a refund or a comparable new vehicle AND reimburse buyers for certain other charges, including sales taxes. Chrysler wants that tax money back, even though its paid by the consumer (not the manufacturer) and a superior court judge said go sing. The RepublicanAmerican reports that Connecticut's Attorney General is not amused by Chrysler's decision to take its case to the state supreme court. "It could be called the height of chutzpah for a car manufacturer that sells a defective car to seek repayment for the tax paid by the consumer," Richard Blumenthal kvetched. Chrysler spokesperson Elaine (no relation) Lutz says the state's picking on carmakers. "Connecticut retailers are entitled to reimbursement of sales tax on refunds to consumers. Chrysler is asking… for the same treatment." You'd think Chrysler would want to keep stum about its lemons, but there are millions of dollars at stake. Oy. 

Illinois' Governor and former trans-Alaskan pipeline worker Rodney Blagojevich has signed the state's new "Truth in Towing Law." After taking full credit for the legislation, Daily Southtown columnist Phil Kadner reveals the new regs (which also shows you just how bad things were). From now on, "safety relocators" must be licensed by the state, display their company name, address and phone number on their trucks; get the owner's permission before towing a vehicle, reveal the stricken vehicle's ultimate destination and specify all costs. What's more, they can't "ask" owners to sign a transit damage waiver. They must provide an itemized invoice and allow cash OR credit payments, and return the vehicle during normal business hours. And now, the loopholes. First, the law doesn't take effect until July of next year. Second, there is no set fee for towing. Kadner reports that towing companies are still charging owners $1700 cash to retrieve their vehicles. 

"Keeping federal taxes low and ensuring that those funds are spent wisely by Washington bureaucrats will continue to be my highest priority. I'm proud of my record as a fiscal conservative." That's Dan Burton's official response to the revelation that the Indianapolis congressional representative leases a Cadillac DeVille at the taxpayer's expense. While Dan has the right idea– $700 a month for a Caddy pales in comparison to, um, anything you'll find in the federal pork barrel– the brouhaha shows that A) the Cadillac brand still has power despite everything GM has done to destroy it and B) some politicians just can't help themselves. Or can and do. Anyway, The Indianapolis Star has a rundown (so to speak) of their pols whips. Needless to say, they're all American, including a Buick, Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Pacifica, Oldsmobile minivan (?), Chrysler 300 and a brace of Impalas. Seems the presidential candidates' predilection for the Ford Escape Hybrid hasn't trickled down quite yet. 

Following hundreds of deaths and injuries of innocent bystanders, police departments nationwide have been forced to re-consider their pursuit policies. The [Oregon] Register Guard provides yet another example of a dangerous high speed police chase. This time 'round, Albany police radared a motorcyclist doing 81mph. When the biker kept on going, Officer Flierl activated his lights and siren and tried to overtake the motorcycle on Hwy. 126, a two-lane road that winds through the Cascade Mountains. Biker boy passed a vehicle in a no-passing zone before merging onto Highway 20, and then overtook seven to 11 more vehicles at speeds that "might have" topped 100 mph. Eventually, Buckley Duane Church II pulled over. Police charged him with felony attempt to elude a police officer, reckless driving and recklessly endangering another person (his passenger, his sixteen year-old daughter). Although we're happy to see a successful resolution to what could have easily been another tragic situation, it's worth noting that Mr. Church II is an off-duty police officer. Perhaps the court will order Mr. Church II to educate his fellow officers about how NOT to trigger the "fight or flight" response. 

OK, the 9mm bit is me. But the purposeful walk advice comes from Universal Protection Services, a security company whose intergalactic remit includes providing the parking industry with "innovative fire/life safety programs and electronic security solutions." Company executive vice president and COO Steve Jones has some decidedly low-tech solutions for people who've seen all those spooky TV shows and movies where bad things happen in echoey parking garages. Mr. Jones says you shouldn't linger around your car (waiting for someone to cue the knife-wielding/chloroform-clutching psycho), keep your doors locked and windows up until Elvis (and you) have left the building and "if possible, park next to entrances or in open and well-lit areas." Huh. We were kind of hoping for stuff like never stop and say "Hello? Is anyone there?" and "fight for your life; if they get you in the car, you're dead meat." 

The stats arrive via from The Arizona Star, which poured over Pima County police records from the last two years. For the mathematically challenged, .06 percent of all drivers stopped at Pima's sobriety checkpoints were convicted of drunk driving. Both the police and anti-drink driving campaigners declared themselves somewhat delighted with the results. "At least we've removed nearly 300 impaired drivers off the road," Sheriff's Lt. Karl Woolridge pronounced. Critics point out that the checkpoints' apprehension rate is no different than the non-checkpoint apprehension rate– despite costing taxpayers $142k in police overtime and tying-up over two dozen deputies during holiday weekends. In 1995, Arizona legislators pulled the plug on Pima County checkpoints due to this same low arrest rate. Lawmakers reinstated random roadblocks ten years later, when they decided that sobriety checkpoints had a deterrent effect. Good luck proving THAT theory.  

KAIT TV says 18-year-old Roger Turley of Wynne, AR listed his used truck online, asking $1500. A week later, UPS delivered a check for $4999. “I thought ‘something’s not right there.’ And then, we got two checks.” The mystery bidders then asked if Turley if he’d accept a cashiers check, take his $1500 out and wire the balance of the funds back to them. Instead, Turley turned the checks over to his local bank. The bank confirmed he’d been sent worthless paper. "We would have been in trouble if we had taken the $1500 out and sent them the remainder,” Turley reflected. “We would have been liable for all of it." The Cross County Sheriff's Department is looking into the matter. Meanwhile, you have been warned.

Janelle Dunklee recently received a letter from the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) informing her that her driver’s license had been suspended. Ms. Dunklee called to find out what was up with that. According to WPTZ TV, the DMV told Dunklee they were “clearing out some old records” and discovered that she’d been pulled over for speeding in 1980. The records indicated she’d been given a speeding ticket for doing 43 in a 30 and fined $26. As the fine was never paid, Dunklee’s license was suspended. Claiming she'd “never been pulled over in her life," Dunklee challenged the 27-year-old suspension. Claiming they were “surprised at the delay,” court officials dismissed the ticket. State's Attorney Robert Sand was surprised at their surprise. "Back in 1980, paperwork was done by hand, and it wasn't uncommon for things to get lost,” he said. 

The movement to ticket drivers who smoke in cars with children on board is gathering force. Physicians at the Canadian Medical Association's (CMA) annual general meeting called for a nationwide ban on the practice. "The risk of second-hand smoke is quite clear to everyone in this room," Ottawa doctor Atul Kapur proclaimed. "There are few areas where children are still exposed; however, one of them is vehicles." According to Canada.com, only one unnamed doc was brave enough to oppose the resolution, saying the CMA should strive to educate parents rather than alienating them "by pulling them over on Highway 401." Given the increasing number of jurisdictions enacting legislation to outlaw the practice, such common sense didn't– and doesn't– stand a chance. 

Microchip Technologies (MT) is in full damage/spin control mode, as Israeli and Belgian boffins say they've cracked the "Keeloq" anti-theft key code. The code is the foundation of the company's remote control system. MT's plippers lock and unlock the doors and immobilize and de-immobilize models built by Fiat, General Motors, Toyota, Volvo, Honda, Volkswagen, Jaguar, Daewoo and Chrysler. Microchip's website calls the code "a highly secure algorithm." The hackers call it lunchmeat. The Jerusalem Post says all the geeks have to do is wirelessly access your key for about an hour, run their computer program and hey presto! They can identify your code from a billion billion possibilities, unlock your car and motor away. Or can they? "Our attack was checked in depth in program simulations," claimed researchers Sebastian Indestig, Eli Beham, Or Dunkelman, Barrett Fernil and Natan Keller. These guys would do well to remember the Ancient Art of War admonition: the algorithm is not the territory.

Some two dozen California gas station owners have filed suit in U.S District Court, accusing Shell Oil Co., Chevron Corp. and Saudi Refining Inc. of fixing prices. The lawsuit claims executives from the three oil companies formed two [now defunct] joint ventures– Equilon in the west, Motiva in the east– for the express purpose of stiffing stations. Lawyer Joseph M. Alioto contends that from 1999 to 2001 the companies artificially inflated wholesale gas prices by “at least” 20 cents a gallon and possibly as much as 40 cents per gallon. Quoted in The Olympian, Chevron mouthpiece Stephanie Price said been there, done that, watched it get thrown out of court. In 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a virtually identical case brought by a different group of station owners. If you’re wondering why Alioto’s mob is having another go from a slightly different angle, the brief wants the oil companies to pay 23k franchisees $240k. Each.