Theft Methods
UK Car Theft Statistics Chart
There are many different ways of stealing a car. We’re definitely not about to publish a “How To” guide on car theft, but rather examine the methods and motives behind each one and how to avoid it.
Lets start with by far the biggest percentage – ‘Keys Stolen In Burglary’. A whopping 37% of all cars are now stolen this way in the UK, and we’d hazard a guess that the US is little different. This comes about because of the recent advances in standard fit car security, with good qualify immobilisers now fitted to every new car, meaning the car isn’t going anywhere without the keys. This has resulted in car thieves breaking into houses to find and steal the keys to take the car, and often steal valuables from the house at the same time, then use the car as a getaway vehicle. This type of theft can be minimised by keeping keys hidden inside the house and not leaving them on display near windows or doors, where they might be easily seen from outside.
Next we have ‘Keys Stolen In Robbery’ with 5% of the statistics. This is where a criminal confronts and threatens you for the keys, either by carjacking, or confrontation in a car park, or even in your own home. More and more examples are coming to light of people answering their front doors to be confronted by someone with a knife or gun demanding your car keys. This situation can leave you angry or scared, but in all cases it is better to release the keys than risk personal injury – make sure that the only thing they take is the car, and that you and anyone else get out of the car, the last thing you want is a hostage situation.
Next is ‘Keys Left In Car’, and it’s a huge 18%, in other words nearly 1 in 5 car thefts could easily be prevented with a little more care from the owner when stopping for fuel, using an ATM, or visiting a convenience store etc. Criminals even target those leaving the car running on the driveway. This is one of the most easily avoidable theft types, and just imagine how much all our insurance premiums would drop, and how much less police time would be wasted if we stopped nearly 1 in 5 of car thefts!
Next we have ‘Taking without Consent’ at 7% – this is usually where a friend or family member takes the car without the permission or knowledge of the owner. The fact that the car’s owner will know the person involved means they would not go to lengths to hide the keys from them, meaning they are easily accessible. This is frequently a child taking a parents car without consent and the parent reporting the matter to the police.
Then there’s the slightly ambiguous ‘Other Theft Using Keys’ at 12% which typically covers thefts such as key cloning, and the acquisition of a copy of the original key and immobiliser remote from a car dealership under false pretences. Dealers should ask to see proof of ownership before this request is granted but sometimes do not. It also covers thing like the driver hiding the keys somewhere on or around the car, or losing the keys and them being found by someone who uses them to steal the car.
‘Forced Ignition’ or good old fashioned hotwiring as it was known, has 14% of the figures and is the criminal forcing or bypassing the cars ignition system , either by forcing the switch itself, or connecting the starter motor up manually under the bonnet. Either way this only generally happens on older cars as newer cars have sophisticated immobilisation systems fitted as standard equipment, and the percentage of these type of thefts is gradually dropping.
Then there’s the rather self explanatory ‘Pushed / Towed Away‘ which has 2% of the vote, can occur either if the thief has managed to break into the car itself but fails to force the ignition system, or professional thieves pretending to be parking officers enforcing a parking violation, but are in fact stealing the car. This is tricky to prevent, but leaving the car in gear and turning the steering wheel so the front wheels are left at an angle can help.
Finally we have ‘Forgery / Fraud’ at 5% which involves all sorts of schemes designed to make the owner give the car to the thief under false pretenses. One of the most common is if the car is for sale, with the buyer paying in some fraudulent method like a check or bankers draft, which can easily be avoided by not releasing the car until the money is definitely in your bank account.
Finally a big thank you to the guys at Orangewheels.co.uk who supply new Vauxhall Cars who gave up their time for free to help us put together this information site.