Joyride (crime)
Encyclopedia
To joyride is to drive around in a stolen car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...

, boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...

, or other vehicle
Vehicle
A vehicle is a device that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft....

 with no particular goal, a ride taken solely for pleasure.

In English law, joyriding is not considered to be theft
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...

, because the intention to "permanently deprive" the owner of the vehicle cannot be proven. Instead, a separate offence of "taking without consent", usually known by the acronym TWOC
TWOC
TWOC is an acronym standing for Taking Without Owner's Consent. Synonyms used by police in the UK include UTMV: Unlawful Taking of a Motor Vehicle, and TADA or TDA: Taking and Driving Away...

, applies to motor vehicles. Therefore "twoccing" or "twocking" is another term for joyriding. In Ireland, joyriding is a common crime and many people have campaigned against it. During The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...

, paramilitaries such as the Provisional IRA administered extralegal punishment to joyriders, usually consisting of breaking their fingers and/or kneecaps, thus rendering them unable to operate a vehicle again.

In Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

, joyriding is a misdemeanor that implies the car was returned undamaged within 24 hours.

Joyriding in the UK is the theft of a vehicle, which is then driven leisurely until it runs out of fuel
Fuel
Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...

 or is damaged beyond repair. The vehicle is often set on fire after it has been dumped. Joyriders are often below the legal driving limit or lack driving license; due to this, the vehicle
Vehicle
A vehicle is a device that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft....

 is often driven in a reckless fashion causing damage to the vehicle resulting in an insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...

 write-off.

Joyriders often choose cars that are older, with much less security these cars are easy targets.

Joyriders often gain access to a locked car with just a flathead screwdriver
Screwdriver
A screwdriver is a tool for driving screws and often rotating other machine elements with the mating drive system. The screwdriver is made up of a head or tip, which engages with a screw, a mechanism to apply torque by rotating the tip, and some way to position and support the screwdriver...

, modern cars have systems to prevent a screwdriver opening locks. In cars manufactured before the mid-1990s, locks were very weak and could be opened easily.
The vehicle is started by either Hotwiring
Hotwiring
Hot-wiring is the process of bypassing an automobile's ignition interlock and thus starting it without the key. A vehicle owner or thief may implement this process.-Methods:...

 or Breaking the ignition lock. Ignition systems were a lot less sophisticated before the mid-1990s and easier to bypass.
The vehicle is often driven through rural areas to avoid police pursuit, and when the vehicle is exhausted of fuel or damaged, it is dumped. After the vehicle has been dumped it is often set on fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....

 to remove any fingerprints or other evidence.

In 2005 The Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...

 conducted a survey to find out the most stolen cars per registered in the UK:
  1. Vauxhall Belmont
    Vauxhall Belmont
    The Vauxhall Belmont was a saloon car sold in the United Kingdom by Vauxhall, the British division of General Motors between January 1986 and July 1991. It was equivalent to a saloon version of the award-winning Opel Kadett E, launched in the autumn of 1984, whose other body styles were marketed...

  2. Vauxhall Astra
    Vauxhall Astra
    Astra is a model name which has been used by Vauxhall, the British subsidiary of General Motors , on their small family car ranges since 1979. Astras are technically essentially identical with similar vehicles offered by GM's German subsidiary Opel in most other European countries...

     Mk2
  3. Ford Escort Mk3
  4. Austin/Rover/MG Metro
  5. Vauxhall Nova
  6. Ford Orion
    Ford Orion
    The Ford Orion is a saloon car built by the automaker Ford for the European market from 22 July 1983 until 19 September 1993. A total of 3,534,239 Orions were sold throughout the car's 10-year life....

  7. Rover Metro
    Rover Metro
    The Metro is a supermini car that was produced by the Austin Rover Group division of British Leyland and its successors. It was launched in 1980 as the Austin miniMetro. It was intended to complement the Mini, and was developed under the codename LC8....

  8. Austin/MG/Rover Maestro
  9. Austin/MG/Rover Montego
  10. Ford Fiesta
    Ford Fiesta
    The Ford Fiesta is a front wheel drive supermini/subcompact manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand and South Africa...

     Mks1, 2 and 3


In 2009 The Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...

 conducted a new survey and found out the most stolen cars (per registered) were as follows:
  1. Vauxhall Astra
    Vauxhall Astra
    Astra is a model name which has been used by Vauxhall, the British subsidiary of General Motors , on their small family car ranges since 1979. Astras are technically essentially identical with similar vehicles offered by GM's German subsidiary Opel in most other European countries...

  2. Volkswagen Golf
    Volkswagen Golf
    The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...

  3. Ford Fiesta
    Ford Fiesta
    The Ford Fiesta is a front wheel drive supermini/subcompact manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand and South Africa...

  4. Ford Focus
  5. Ford Escort
  6. Vauxhall Corsa
  7. Ford Mondeo
    Ford Mondeo
    The Mondeo was launched on 8 January 1993, and sales began on 22 March 1993. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback, and a five-door estate, all models for the European market were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk...

  8. Ford Transit
    Ford Transit
    The Ford Transit is a range of panel vans, minibuses, and pickup trucks, produced by the Ford Motor Company in Europe.The Transit has been the best-selling light commercial vehicle in Europe for 40 years, and in some countries the term "Transit" has passed into common usage as a generic term...

  9. Vauxhall Vectra
  10. Honda Civic
    Honda Civic
    The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded...



In the USA the most stolen cars in 2007 (per registered) were:
  1. Honda Civic
    Honda Civic
    The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded...

  2. Honda Accord
    Honda Accord
    The Honda Accord is a series of compact, mid-size and full-size automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1976, and sold in a majority of automotive markets throughout the world....

  3. Toyota Camry
    Toyota Camry
    The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...

  4. Ford F-150
  5. Chevrolet
    Chevrolet
    Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...

     C/K 1500
  6. Acura Integra
  7. Dodge Ram Pickup
  8. Nissan Sentra
    Nissan Sentra
    The Nissan Sentra is a compact car produced by automaker Nissan Motors and is generally a rebadged export version of the Japanese Nissan Sunny. The name "Sentra" is not used in Japan....

  9. Toyota Pickup
  10. Toyota Corolla
    Toyota Corolla
    The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...

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