Rockford Register Star, Ill., Georgette Braun column

July 22--Collina Rosales of Rockford knows painfully well what can happen when thieves steal cars and are on the run from police.

Three years ago, the Nissan Versa she was driving was struck downtown by a stolen GMC Envoy that was being pursued by police. She sustained broken ribs, an injured back and a dislocated right knee.

An injury to her left leg, which she told me was "reignited" in the July 2015 accident, was the result of an April 2006 crash on a Colorado highway. The Grand Am she was driving hit gravel and rolled down a mountainside after her car was struck by a vehicle being pursued by police. Her left leg was broken and she suffered burns on her face and arms.

Rosales, 33, said she received an insurance settlement of about $60,000 as a result of the the Colorado crash, in which the car thief was not caught. She received about $48,000 for pain and suffering as a result of the Rockford accident after $32,000 in medical bills and attorney's fees were deducted from a $100,000 settlement. The settlements were paid through her insurance companies. The other driver in the Rockford case was 19 years old, and the car owner's insurer wouldn't pay because the thief was an unauthorized driver.

Auto thefts in the Rockford area and nationwide are down, but even so, Rosales and others are offering advice during July's National Vehicle Theft Prevention Month: "Don't leave your keys in the car," she said. And be sure -- as her father told her -- you have more than the minimum the law requires for uninsured motorist coverage through your insurance company.

"She would have been clearly out of luck" if she hadn't had the higher coverage for uninsured motorists, said James Theisen of Hupy and Abraham, Rosales' attorney in the Rockford case. He helped her file the insurance claim that resulted in a $100,000 settlement.

Under Illinois law, liability insurance policies automatically include uninsured motorist coverage at the $25,000 legal minimum requirement for bodily injury.

But Broadmoor Agency in Rockford recommends clients buy $100,000 in insurance per person for bodily injury claims, said Amanda Norman, account manager. "If somebody goes to the hospital, $25,000 is not going to cut it," she said. It costs Norman and her husband $50 extra more a year for the $100,000 coverage for their Saturn Ion and Dodge Caravan.

Auto thefts decline

Speaking of Caravans, the minivan ranks as the No. 1 stolen car in Rockford, according to data provided by city. Next in line are the Chevy Impala, Chevy Malibu, Pontiac Grand Prix and Honda Accord. The Accord and Honda Civic were the top two car models stolen in the U.S. in 2016, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Lt. Eric Bruno of the Rockford police said the Caravan may be a popular vehicle to steal because its theft-prevention features aren't as advanced as they are in other vehicles. Or the number of seats in it could be a lure for teen thieves. "Maybe you can throw all your friends in and drive around," he said.

More juveniles than adults were arrested for stealing cars or possessing stolen cars last year, according to city data: 37 juveniles compared with 28 adults. Bruno said few arrests are made for car theft. "Many times by the time anyone realizes their car is stolen, it's several hours later," he said. And by then, some stolen vehicles have been abandoned and police find them relatively quickly.

Many cars are stolen to be used to commit other crimes, Bruno said.

Summer isn't when most vehicles in Rockford are stolen, though, Bruno said. More are taken during cold months when drivers leave their cars running to pick up items at convenience stores or warm them up unattended in driveways, he said.

While technology has helped reduce car thefts, operator error continues to be an issue. Bruno said 40 percent of cars stolen last year in Rockford were the result of vehicles not being locked.

"There is no rocket science here," Bruno said. "Once they get in, it's over," he said.

"If your car is locked, they will move on."

Georgette Braun: 815-987-1331; gbraun@rrstar.com; @GeorgetteBraun

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