Car Theft - Statistics & Guide to Car Theft Insurance

Driver complacency is the car thief's greatest friend. Many car owners without car theft insurance cling to long-held myths like it will never happen to me, or no-one would want to steal my old bomb, or I'm insured, it doesn't matter. The truth is, if it does happen to you, you may be thousands of dollars out of pocket and greatly inconvenienced when looking for the stolen car and then searching around for a replacement.

There's also the added danger of personal papers being left in the car, giving the thieves your address or ready details for identity theft. For the sake of a few simple precautions, it's not worth the risk.

World Top Ten Countries With Most Car Thefts Rates
Country	Car Theft Rate
Switzerland	962.80
New Zealand	818.01
England & Wales	752.95
Sweden	738.47
Australia	726.19
Denmark	604.18
Scotland	555.33
Italy	537.00
Canada	521.20
Norway	518.25

Table extracted from: http://www.mapsofworld.com/

The good news is that the number of car thefts has been decreasing over the past few years. The bad news is that the recovery rate of stolen autos is also down. This may change if federal anti-crime agency CrimTrac has its way. According to a recent edition of the Australian Financial Review, the number may be up for stolen cars. Apparently, there are proposals in the wings to introduce a national number plate recognition system that would give police and other law enforcement agencies the ability to automatically track down stolen vehicles anywhere in the country. Cameras alongside roads would take pictures of licence plates and, using character recognition technology, compare the plates with information stored in the database.

Prevent car theft by taking the following steps:

1. Insure your car properly. It's the best defence you can have against car thieves.
   
2. Fit an immobilizer, especially if you drive an older model car. Not only will this make it impossible for thieves to de-activate and thus steal your car, you will probably benefit through a cheaper premium from your insurer.
   
3. Don't be an attractive target. You probably already know to keep your wallet or purse out of sight of passers-by but don't forget to hide other things like your mobile phone, iPod, laptop or any other fun gadgetry you have in your car. Among the favourite items on the black market are GPS units. If you have one, conceal it as well as the stand it's mounted on. Leaving it on view can be a sign to a thief to search your car.
   
4. Lock your car. It sounds obvious but it isn't. People tend to leave their cars unlocked when they're at a quiet, peaceful and seemingly safe location among friends. That's when thieves can strike.

Article extracted from: http://www.canstar.com.au/

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