Legalise Car Theft

Your flight arrives late. You claim your bags and walk to the rental car counter in the airport. No one is there. You are in a hurry to get to your destination. You consider your options. Bus? No, your destination is too far from the city. Taxi? No, too expensive for the distance you have to go. You walk out into the parking lot and find a car with the doors unlocked. You get in and start it with a screwdriver. Then, you drive to your destination.

When you come back to the airport, you drop the car off at a police station. A cop looks for damage to the car. You pay a fee about what a normal rental car would cost, which goes to the owner of the car. Then, you pay for any damages done to the car in the process of stealing it and using it. Finally, you take a bus or taxi the rest of the way to the airport.

Car owners would have the option of paying a fee to opt out of legalised car theft. Those who opt out would get a special license plate or a window sticker indicating that the car has been opted-out and is illegal to steal.