Finger on the pulse - Modern Mini - December 2008

      

ATRD Biometric Immobiliser on BBC's Cars, Cops and Criminals. - July 2008

ITV's Police Camera Action combat car crime with the ATRD Biometric Immobiliser. - July 2008

The Sunday Times - June 2008

QUESTION: Is there any way of comparing the effectiveness of the security systems on different cars? I recently read about a system that uses fingerprint recognition – is this sort of system effective, and where can I get hold of one?

DJM from Weston-super-Mare

ANSWER: The Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre (known as Thatcham), assesses new cars for safety, cost of repairs and security – factors that affect a car’s insurance rating. You can check any new vehicle’s security star rating on the Thatcham website at www.thatcham.org. The ratings are divided into two sections: theft of the vehicle and theft from the vehicle. The more stars, the better.

As for fingerprint recognition, the Biometric M10 immobiliser from ATRD (0845 468 1389, www.atrd.co.uk) features a dash-mounted touchpad linked into the car’s existing security system. The engine cannot be started without an authorised fingerprint – even with the keys. It costs about £350, including installation.