The new keys have helped to slash the theft rate on some models by 90 percent.

In 2001, Phoenix was number one for theft rate with 35,161 total thefts, giving a rate of 1,081.25 per 100,000.

The theft rate began to drop first in the Interior region and then in the Intermediate area.

Today, the threat of fines and even jail has brought the theft rate down to 55 percent.

According to the researchers, 90 percent of the benefits go to non-buyers in the form of lower community-wide theft rates.

Paramus, with its enormous malls, had the second-highest theft rate in the state.

The state has the second-highest number of accidents per mile driven and the fourth-highest theft rate.

Mr. Hazelbaker says the theft rate has fallen by half since immobilizers came into widespread use.

Interestingly, these declines - in theft rates and premiums - seem to have passed with little notice on the street.

Of the roughly 5,400 stores in the survey with self-checkout lanes, 63.6 percent reported no increase in theft rates.