DEVICE FOR PROTECTING A MOTOR VEHICLE AGAINST UUSE BY THIRD PARTIES, WITH INDIVIDUAL DRIVING AUTHORIZATION

A device for protecting a vehicle against use by third parties provides an object detection system which detects the facial area of the driver and compares it, in an image analysis, with stored facial-area image information. For this purpose an image recording camera is positioned in the vehicle so that it automatically takes an image of the facial area when the driver is in position in the driver's seat. When the image recorded by the camera accords with the stored image information, a driving authorization signal is generated which actuates a plurality of vehicle systems to enter a state in which the vehicle can be started.