Gas Thefts on the Rise: Plus Tips on How to Protect Yourself from Gas Thieves

The more it costs to fill up at the pump, the greater the temptation to leave without paying. As fuel prices near US$4.00 a gallon, reports of gas theft have been appearing more frequently in the news.

"It is getting bad," Dan Gilligan, president of the Petroleum Marketers Association of America (which represents about 8,000 retailers nationwide), told the Reuters news agency. "When the price of gasoline goes up, the number of drive-offs goes up."

The PMAA estimates that about US$134 million worth of gas was stolen in 2007. That's compared to US$120 million in 2006. The figure is expected to be significantly higher this year, as gas prices are already up more than 60 cents from 2007, according to AAA.

The owner of the HEB gas station in Marble Falls, Texas, has experienced this first hand. At the end of April a customer gassed up and left without paying for 50 gallons, according to a report on Keyetv.com. At US$3.65/gall., that means the proprietor suffered a US$182.50 loss.

Gas thieves aren't limiting themselves to "fill and fly" and "gas and go" robberies only, however. Some are resorting to even more extreme measures to filch fuel.

On Sunday, May 18, a truck driver who had parked his rig at the R&C Quick Stop near McArthur, Ohio, surprised a man who was siphoning gasoline from his tank, according to the Chillicothe Gazette. When confronted, the culprit tried to flee in his own tractor-trailer.

The victim, determined that this thief would be caught, ignored the perpetrator's claim that he had a gun, climbed into the man's cab, wrested control of the steering wheel and drove the vehicle into a ditch. In the end, the police arrived and the thief was taken into custody without further incident.

Luckily, no one was injured in this case, but it makes you wonder what further violence truck drivers will be threatened with as fuel prices rise. Diesel fuel at the R&C Quick Stop already costs US$4.55/gall., so it must cost hundreds of dollars for a single fill up.

If siphoning weren't bad enough, there are now gas thieves who will gladly damage your car to get the fuel they want.

On Monday, May 19, employees of a Honolulu-based Meals on Wheels charity came to work to find that the gas tanks of two delivery vans had been emptied over the weekend, according to KITV.com. The fuel lines of both vehicles had been cut and the fuel drained out. The employees had to scramble to find other ways to deliver the hot meals that 1,700 local seniors rely on each day.

This wasn't the first time Lanakila Meals on Wheels had suffered from fuel theft: nine of their vehicles have had gas stolen out of them in three separate incidents over the last year. (Regular gasoline currently costs US$3.80/gall. in Honolulu, according to Gasprices.MapQuest.com.)

So what can you do as a vehicle owner to protect yourself from gas theft? AAA Mid Atlantic offers these suggestions:

1. Buy a locking gas cap. They cost from US$10 to $20 and can be found at most auto-parts stores.
2. Park in an attended lot and leave only the ignition or door key with the attendant, not the gas-cap key.
3. Park in areas with plenty of foot traffic that are well-lit.
4. Never leave your car running unattended (even in the winter). Thieves who've come to steal your gas may make off with your vehicle as well.

Here's one more (from me):

5. If you currently use your garage for storage (as many do in central New Jersey, where I live), consider emptying it and parking your car there. Gas thieves won't target your vehicle if they don't know it's there.