In South Carolina, one does not require proof of ownership in order to sell vehicles that are eight years old or even older. So, it is easy for car thieves in South Carolina as they can simply steal an older vehicle and sell it to a scrap dealer and take cash in return. Senator Joel Lourie from Richland states that South Carolina is a thriving area for car thieves. Lourie is the lead sponsor of the Bill that is likely to make things difficult for car thieves who steal older vehicles in order to dispose them off quickly to scrap dealers. Senator Joel Lourie, spoke after a hearing at the Judiciary subcommittee on Thursday, where the bill was aired in public for the first time.
Spokesmen who were representing the scrap dealers at the hearing told Lourie and the other lawmakers Senator Brad Hutto from Orangeburg, and Senator Larry Martin from Pickens, that they had no objections to the bill that would help in tightening restrictions. Lourie hopes to move forward with the help of this bill and wants to ensure that the Bill gets through the Judiciary Committee as well as the Senate floor in the coming weeks.
According to the statistics provided by the National Crime Insurance Bureau, over 13,000 vehicles had been stolen in 2010. Although no one is sure about the number of stolen vehicles sold to these metal scrap dealers in exchange for cash, at least 9 out of 10 stolen vehicles have been found to be older than 8 years. This is exactly the type of vehicle that a car thief would steal as they don’t need any title to resell the vehicle. As per the data from the National Crime Insurance Bureau, the top ten stolen vehicles in South Carolina in 2010 include the 1998 Chevy Pickup, 1996 Camry, 1996 Ford Explorer, 1999 Ford Crown Victoria, 1999 Chevy Pickup, 1998 Ford F150, and 1993 Honda Accord.
As per the prevailing laws in South Carolina, a person selling a car eight years or older does not have to furnish proof of ownership to the metal scrap dealer in order to sell it for a few hundred dollars. According to the prevailing laws, the metal scrap dealers can shred the vehicle immediately. However, the new Bill will put restrictions and anyone selling older vehicles will have to show proof of ownership and the dealer has to keep the vehicle without title for a period of 15 days in the lot.
