Students driving Kias and Hyundais may sign up to potentially receive a free wheel lock after a string of car thefts. Credit: Casey Cascaldo | Lantern file photo
Students with Kias and Hyundais may find relief in knowing they can prevent their car from getting stolen thanks to the Undergraduate Student Government’s steering wheel lock pilot project.
Zaida Jenkins, a fourth-year in public affairs and chair of the Undergraduate Caucus, said the Department of Public Safety assisted USG in purchasing 200 steering wheel locks for the pilot project. Students will be able to sign up and receive a free lock until Friday at midnight, Jenkins said, with recipients randomly selected if over 200 students sign up.
From Aug. 23 until Nov. 15, there have been 96 motor vehicle thefts in the campus area, according to the Community Crime Map.
Jenkins said students with Kias and Hyundais will be prioritized, although students with other models are welcome to sign up. Those not selected in the pilot could receive a lock in the spring, as Jenkins said the goal is to order at least 400 more for then.
“I’m working right now to order another round of locks,” Jenkins said. “Anyone who applies during this pilot but doesn’t get a lock would still be on the list and could potentially be contacted in the spring once we get another order in.”
Omar Al Kowatli, a third-year in finance and USG’s chief financial officer, said he feels uneasy leaving his Hyundai parked on off-campus streets — such as Summit Street — overnight and is grateful for this project.
“I personally went out of my way to get a steering wheel lock not too long ago,” Al Kowatli said. “When I heard that USG was doing a steering wheel lock initiative, I really thought that was a commendable action because it doesn’t occur to a lot of people to get a steering wheel lock.”
Al Kowatli said the locks are easy to use and successful in deterring thieves.
“I don’t think anyone is going to even attempt to break into a car if they see that the steering wheel lock is there,” Al Kowatli said. “That kind of mitigates even getting the car broken into, rather than broken into and stolen. It stops it at the root of the problem.”
Nicole DeFabio, a first-year in journalism and a member of USG, said she has enjoyed working on a project she sees as highly beneficial to the student body.
“I thought this initiative seemed really useful because a lot of people have complained about getting their cars broken into,” DeFabio said. “You’re already paying so much to go to college, so why would you want to pay for car damages as well? If there is anything we can do to generally help the student body, that seems like a good idea to me.”
Nicole DeFabio has had one article published in The Lantern.
This story was updated at 3:10 p.m. Wednesday to include the sign up form to receive a steering wheel lock.
