Car crime soars, stats show 83% jump in key crime

Last month the UK’s leading online insurance broker InsureYourMotor.com reported that UK car crime figures fell by 40% last year. New statistics, however, show that the latest crime wave to hit motorists is 'key crime'. Thefts of keys from bags or pockets or from motorists' homes are becoming increasingly common, and have shot up 83% in the last year. As cars' security systems become more advanced, thieves are increasingly trying to find other methods of stealing vehicles. What is particularly worrying is that research has also revealed that keys are increasingly being stolen from within the owners' home. Keys stolen from the owners' home account for nearly 50% of every car stolen in this way. Many criminals know that drivers will leave their keys somewhere convenient near the front door so breaking a window and grabbing the keys or dangling a pole through a window to hook the keys up is a simple and quick method of stealing a car. If you want to keep your car you need to keep your keys out of sight and away from windows and doors. Car crime is a major blight on motorists and represents one fifth of all crime in the UK. Some 350,000 cars are stolen each year, nearly 1000 per day. The majority of cars are stolen whilst it is dark and cars parked on the street or in car parks are at a far greater risk than those in garages or on driveways. David Harlow MD of InsureYourMotor comments: “Car key crime is a big problem, especially at this time of year when people are spending more time in their gardens and leaving doors and windows open; houses are more susceptible to break-ins.” “In the instance of car key crime many will find themselves paying two excess premiums if there is a break-in. This is not only costly but a major hassle for those having to liase with two different insurance companies. It is often wise to get your insurance through a broker as not only will they find the best premium to suit the individual, but will liase with all companies in question.”