Between April 16 and May 2, ten students reported attempted motor vehicle theft. All cars were either a Kia or a Hyundai. The attempts follow a national pattern over the past few years after a series of viral social media videos led to a surge in break-ins of these two car types.
The UIPD reported in a Thursday Campus Safety Notice that someone burglarized vehicles in four separate break-ins between April 16 and May 1. A second notice on Friday added six more student reports filed in the 18 hours since.
“Investigators believe that each vehicle was entered through a broken window and the steering columns were tampered with,” the UIPD wrote in the Friday notice.
In December 2023, the Highway Loss Data Institute, a nonprofit insurance-focused research organization, reported that “Theft claim frequency for 2003-23 Hyundai and Kia models in the first half of 2023 was more than 10 times higher than in the first half of 2020.”
These break-ins are attributed to a 2021 social media trend in which people would break into cars, recklessly drive them around and post clips of their actions on social media. This led to at least eight fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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Following the abrupt rise in theft, Hyundai Motor America, which owns both makes of vehicles, began adding additional safety measures to their cars. In Feb. 2023, they announced a free anti-theft software update, followed by an ignition cylinder protector that December.
In May 2024, the HLDI released another report finding a 53% decrease in theft claim frequency of upgraded vehicles.
Anyone with a Hyundai vehicle can visit the motor company’s anti-theft website to see available options for upgrading their car’s software or purchasing cost-reimbursed steering wheel locks to deter crime.