Most of the 100 offenders interviewed said they began to steal cars in their early to mid-teens, with the help of more experienced offenders. The influence of friends, the excitement of stealing cars, and boredom were the primary reasons given for first becoming involved in car theft. Over time, the opportunity to make money from car theft apparently became increasingly important, and over one-third progressed to "professional" car theft for financial gain. Over half described themselves as "specialists," stealing cars more or less to the exclusion of other crimes. Specialists were more likely to have had a youthful obsession with cars. Although accepting that car theft was morally wrong, most offenders did not consider it a serious crime. The excitement of car theft apparently overcame any appreciation of the threat of punishment. Nine out of 10 said they were not deterred by the prospect of being caught. Most of those who said they had stopped stealing cars attributed this to increased responsibilities and maturity. The threat of penal sanctions seemed relatively unimportant in stopping offending. Car alarms were of some deterrent value. A third said all alarms deterred them, and another 25 percent reported that some makes and models of cars deterred them. 2 figures