{{short description|Automotive theft-deterrent system}} thumb|A steering-wheel lock is a visible anti-theft device. A '''steering-wheel lock''' is a visible anti-theft device<ref name=seelhorst>Seelhorst, Mary: [https://books.google.com/books?id=6dIDAAAAMBAJ&dq=steering+wheel+lock&pg=PA160 "Think It's New? Think Again!" March 2002.] ''Popular Mechanics'', Retrieved 8 February 2017.</ref><ref name=phillips/> that immobilizes the steering wheel of a car.
Also known as a '''crook lock''',<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=9-ACAAAAMBAJ&dq=Crook+lock&pg=PA100 ''New York'', p. 100. 2 Abr 1979, Vol. 12, N.º 14 ISSN 0028-7369. New York Media.] Google Books. Retrieved 8 February 2017.</ref> or '''club lock''',<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=hq_esRSj7osC&dq=Crook+lock&pg=PA27 ''Heloise Around the House: 2,647 Household Problems Solved from Basement to Attic'', p. 27. Rodale.] Google Books. Retrieved 8 February 2017.</ref> the first generation of steering-wheel locks, known as canes,<ref name=raven>Raven, Greg & Chad Erickson (2011). [https://books.google.com/books?id=GRTj0Xlh6h0C&dq=steering+wheel+lock&pg=PA192 ''Water-Cooled VW Performance Handbook: 3rd Edition'', p. 192. MBI Publishing Company.] Google Books. Retrieved 8 February 2017.</ref> consisted of a lockable bar that connected the steering wheel to the brake pedal or clutch pedal. Later models include devices which lock across the steering wheel and extend out over the dashboard<ref name=phillips>Phillips, Bill (1993). [https://books.google.com/books?id=xxWHeHRwf_kC&q=steering+wheel+lock ''Home Mechanix Guide to Security: Protecting Your Home, Car, & Family'', p. 124. Wiley.] Google Books. Retrieved 8 February 2017.</ref> preventing the steering wheel from being turned.<ref name=raven/>
Wheel-locks have been used since at least the early 1920s,<ref name=seelhorst/> when many cars were open touring cars and roadsters (later known as convertibles). The ''Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office'' published details of patents filed in 1916.<ref>United States Patent Office (1917). [https://books.google.com/books?id=ml4bAQAAMAAJ&q=steering+wheel+lock ''Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office''. United States Patent Office.] Google Books. Retrieved 8 February 2017.</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=0vopDlBl1yYC&q=steering+wheel+lock ''Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office'', p. 345. United States Patent Office.] Google Books. Retrieved 8 February 2017.</ref>
Steering wheel locks can be defeated by cutting the lock or cutting the steering wheel.
Steering wheel locks should not be confused with steering column locks, which are built into the steering column and immobilize it when the key is removed. Steering column locks are standard on all modern cars and reduced crime rates when first introduced in the 1970's.<ref>{{Cite report|title=Crime As Opportunity|url=https://popcenter.asu.edu/sites/default/files/124-mayhew_et_al-crime_as_opportunity.pdf|first1=P.|last1=Mayhew|first2=R. V. G.|last2=Clarke|first3=A.|last3=Sturman|first4=J. M.|last4=Hough|date=1976}}</ref>
==See also== * The Club (automotive)
==References==
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Category:Crime prevention Category:Vehicle security systems