Joyride (crime)

Common card · No. 495485

Joyriding is driving or riding in a stolen vehicle, most commonly a car, with no particular goal other than the pleasure or thrill of doing so or to impress other people. The term "joy riding" was coined by a New York judge in 1908. Joyriders often act opportunistically and choose easy targets (such as cars with keys left by their owners in the ignition or neighbors' cars). Like other car thieves, they can also gain access to locked cars with simple tools; a flathead screwdriver and a slide hammer long sufficed, although modern cars have systems to prevent a screwdriver from opening locks. Locks in cars manufactured before the early to mid-1990s were weak enough that they could easily be opened in this way. Similarly, ignition systems were much less sophisticated before the early to mid-1990s and easier to bypass, allowing would-be joyriders to start a car by either hot-wiring it or breaking its ignition lock. The vehicle is often driven through rural areas or less busy residential areas...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Riley from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC BY 2.0