A stolen vehicle recovery expert has shared details on how to reduce the risk of theft and avoid insurance premium nightmares.
With research showing the average cost of an insurance premium rises by £629 following the theft of car, stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) expert Tracker Network (UK) Ltd is offering advice on how to mitigate the risk of falling victim to keyless car theft and its financial consequences.
Clive Wain, Head of Police Liaison at Tracker, said, “Having a car stolen can have a huge emotional impact on a victim, leaving many feeling violated, fearful and angry. But there are also financial repercussions.
“Not only will insurance companies take into consideration the theft of a car when it comes to renewing premiums, the claimant may well lose their no-claims bonus too. This can have hefty financial consequences later down the line if they are involved in an accident. However, there are a number of preventative measures that people can employ to avoid being stung both emotionally and financially.”
When buying a car people should always consider the vehicle’s security rating – the higher the better.
The insurance industry groups cars together into brackets using security rating data from Thatcham Research, alongside other factors such as vehicle performance and new car price.
This determines the cost of an insurance premium. Fitting a Thatcham approved vehicle tracker can help reduce insurance premiums and most insurance companies mandate a Category S5 system is fitted to vehicles over a certain value. Tracking systems under this category offer the most security features, ensuring the security of a vehicle.
However, with an increasing number of cars now featuring keyless entry and start, car thieves have moved on from stealing keys and hotwiring, to signal jamming and key cloning. Thieves use these sophisticated methods to bypass a car’s digital security signal with astonishing success.
Tracker data reveals tech-savvy criminals employing keyless car theft technology were responsible for 93% of all the stolen vehicles it recovered last year – a 27% increase in the last 5 years
Manufacturers are stepping up to the challenge, introducing new technologies to combat these crimes.
These include motion sensor key fobs, which enter a sleep mode after being motionless for a short time and in turn, become impossible to clone and ultra-wide band (UWB) radio technology, which adds another layer of signal security to key fobs, offering further reassurance to owners.
Clive Wain added, “Although car manufacturers are working hard to increase vehicle security, keyless cars have rapidly become the target of choice for today’s thieves.
“Over and above ensuring your vehicle is always locked when not occupied and putting keys out of sight at home – preferably as far away as possible from the front of the house or the parked car – we strongly advise keyless car owners to take additional security measures. CCTV and motion sensor cameras are good visible deterrents, and most insurance companies look favourably upon physical barriers, such as a wheel lock in the vehicle itself or putting the keyless car fob into a faraday pouch.”
