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Oh, Those Eyes….

I had seen the car window decals for quite some time, but I couldn’t figure out what they were. I tried “Googling” my description of the logo in the decals — “a blue hat or car with eyes suspiciously peeking out from underneath” — but couldn’t find anything on the Internet that would identify them to me.

The reason for my curiosity was that I’d seen eyes similar to these years before, adhered to the muscle cars of my youth. I later discovered that these earlier decals were for Moon auto parts, and they appeared on racecars and hot rods when I was a kid in the ’60s and ’70s.

So, flash forward to a crisp autumn day in 2007. As I was cruising down Ray Road in Chandler, I spotted a new Corvette sporting one of these “eye stickers.” Fed up with not knowing what they were, I rolled down my window at the next light and shouted, “Hey, what is that sticker for?”

He replied something to the effect that it was to tip off the police that, if they spotted the car being driven in the wee hours of the morning, they had the authority to stop and make sure that it wasn’t stolen. So, mystery solved. However, I wanted more information since I still didn’t know what to call this new sticker. (The ’Vette driver suddenly sped off as I was about to ask that question. Maybe he thought that I was trying to breach his personal security space, but I suspect it was more to do with my holding up traffic.)

Back to my trusty Google, which makes anyone suddenly feel like MacGyver. I typed in a summary of the helpful ’Vette driver’s description and came up the Watch Your Car Program, a free, voluntary program whereby vehicle owners register with the Arizona Automobile Theft Authority (AATA). The vehicle is then entered into the motor vehicle division’s database, and participants receive decals for their front and rear windows. By enrolling in this program, owners convey to law enforcement officials that their vehicle is not usually in use between the hours of 1 and 5 a.m., when the majority of auto thefts occur. If a police officer witnesses the vehicle in operation between these hours, they have the right to stop the vehicle and verify that it is being legally operated by the rightful owner.

In addition, by enrolling in the Watch Your Car Program, vehicle owners authorize law enforcement officials to stop their vehicles at any time during the day or night within one mile of the international border, if there is a suspicion that the vehicle is being illegally operated.

So, now I was happy. I had come full circle in my quest for knowledge of these new age eye stickers. All was good in the world again. I really need a hobby, huh?

For more information on the Watch Your Car Program, you can visit the AATA’s website at azwatchyourcar.com or call 602-364-2886 or 888-668-4433.
— Wally Campbell