Soaring value of in-car contents encouraging opportunist theft

RAC Auto Windscreens is warning motorists about rocketing theft from cars, with a 23% rise in the number of smashed side windows reported last year due to opportunistic thieves grabbing expensive gadgets left in clear view in unattended cars.

Research carried out by RAC Auto Windscreens* reveals that despite a car theft taking place every 22 seconds, over 40% of motorists regularly leave valuables on show when their cars are unattended, making rich pickings for thieves who are increasingly smashing side windows to bag booty. A further quarter of motorists admit to leaving gadgets on show and unattended for more than 10 minutes at a time.

Only 3% of motorists secure valuables in an in-car safe and just 13% put precious possessions in the boot. This means that 84% of motorists would not be covered by their standard insurance policy if they were victims of a "smash and grab" theft.

The research also revealed that one in 10 cars has contents worth more than £1,000 - that's over twice the value of electrical goods in the average British bedroom (£399). This includes:

Reformed burglar and presenter of BBC2's To Catch a Thief programme, Michael Fraser, explains: "Leaving desirable goods such as iPods, phones and satellite navigation systems on display puts temptation in the path of opportunist thieves who will simply smash and grab the goods on show. Throwing a coat over expensive belongings or hiding things under the seat is not a deterrent for a determined thief. It only takes a few seconds for a thief to smash a side windscreen and make off with goods, so people are getting caught short when they leave goods unattended even for only a few minutes."

Spokesperson Adam Cracknell comments: "Today's cars are treasure troves packed with the latest technology and gadgets making them a target for theft. Not surprisingly, our call centres have received a surge of calls reporting thefts since Christmas and the new year sales. We are urging all UK motorists to take better care of their valuables by putting them in an in-car safe or locking them in the boot. The problem is that motorists are not only enticing thieves to their cars by leaving valuables on display, but they also stand to miss out on being able to make an insurance claim if they have not secured their valuables."

8 Feb 2007
(source: the Endsleigh)

Endsleigh Study Reveals Car theft down by a third

New figures published today by Endsleigh Insurance in December 2006, show that claims for car theft across the UK have fallen by 31% over the past three years. The figures were revealed in Endsleigh’s latest report ‘Motor Cities 2006’, which identifies the UK’s top ten safest and riskiest towns and cities for motorists.

The results were collected by analysing theft claims across the UK over the last three years from the hundreds of thousands of people that Endsleigh insures. Endsleigh’s report backs up the perception that car crime is falling across the UK as a whole. Endsleigh has compared the frequency of claims in different UK towns and cities to the Endsleigh national average. This means that the report shows the risk of an actual incident occurring rather than just the total number of incidents that have occurred.

The top three towns and cities for car theft are:
• Riskiest for car theft: Hull, Bradford, Leeds
• Safest for car theft: Norwich, Solihull, Swindon

Tim Larden, Endsleigh’s spokesperson said:
“The overall national picture on car theft is good news for drivers and there is no doubt that improved car security has significantly contributed to this drop in theft. However there are still simple precautions that individuals can take to avoid becoming the victim of car theft. A significant amount of car crime is opportunistic and so when leaving their vehicle, motorists should always close all the windows, remove easy-to-steal items and never leave valuables such as satellite navigation systems, laptops and handbags on display. “

“The signs are that local activity undertaken to address car theft is also contributing towards this welcome fall. Even amongst the highest risk cities the signs are that car theft is down.”

The report also names the UK’s top ten towns and cities for Motor accidents. The top three for risk of accidents are):
• Riskiest for accidents: Bradford, Ilford, Inner London
• Lowest risk for accidents: Belfast, Swansea, Cambridge

Tim Larden added:
"Crucially, there are a large number of positive initiatives that local councils and police services are implementing to address road safety. Congestion charging, drinkdriving campaigns and speed cameras, as well as a whole host of other traffic calming and speed-cutting measures should play a part in bringing accident numbers down.”