Don’t leave Christmas shopping on car back seat

New research suggests motorists are becoming complacent about car crime, revealing fewer motorists are worried about their car being stolen or broken into than they were last year.  However more are being reckless and leaving personal items on show in their car.

Car insurance expert, Admiral researched 3,000 motorists and found 73% have left personal items on display in their unattended car, up from 71% last year.  The list of most common items left on show is headed by coats and jackets, 59% of motorists admit they have left these in their unattended car, up 3% from 2008. Other items that are more commonly left on display than last year are CDs, handbags and MP3 players.

With the Christmas shopping season upon us Admiral is advising motorists never to leave anything on display in their car as it is an open invitation to a car thief.

Admiral managing director, Sue Longthorn, said: "It's a worrying trend that more motorists are happy to leave expensive items on show in their cars.  It only takes seconds for an opportunistic car thief to break a car window and grab what's inside.

"At this time of year, people will often leave their Christmas shopping on show on the back seat of their car.  For a criminal this is an open invitation. Think how heartbroken you would be if you had your presents stolen."

Admiral's research also showed the percentage of motorists who are concerned about car crime is down from last year.  76% of motorists said they frequently or sometimes worry about their car being broken into or stolen; this is down from 80% in 2008.  Fewer motorists also think car crime is on the increase than did in 2008.  This year only 30% said they thought car crime has increased over the last year, in 2008 37% said they thought it had increased.

In fact most types of car crime are falling.  Admiral's own statistics show the percentage of its customers who have made a theft claim has fallen year on year since 2005.  However it is worried that this trend could be reversed if too many motorists become complacent and don't make an effort to prevent car crime.

One type of crime that has seen an increase is where car keys are stolen from a house and the car parked outside is simply driven away.  This is because car security is better than ever and this may be the easiest way to steal a high value car.  In fact 39% of motorists polled by Admiral said they now hide their car keys at night or when they leave their home without their car.

"Although these types of claims are still very rare, the increase in car security, particularly on higher value cars means criminals have to find new ways to steal cars.  I think it is always a good idea to keep your keys somewhere safe when your car isn't in use.  As with smash and grab car crime, the best option is to not put temptation in the way of the car criminal."

For more information, visit admiral.com.