A car insurance provider has urged customers to take better care of their keys in order to prevent thefts.
Domestic burglaries are the trigger events for car thefts and car insurance claims, major new research from one cover provider revealed late yesterday.
The report cites recent government figures showing that a total of 18,500 vehicles were stolen in 2008 following separate theft of keys. This equates to a 15 percent annual rise, according to AA Insurance.
Home secretary Jacqui Smith released the figures as a parliamentary answer. They include 15,700 cases of cars being stolen following a domestic theft, while a combination of muggings, pickpocketings and carjackings made up the remainder.
The car insurance provider has used the release of the figures to mount a campaign aimed at drivers, urging them to better protect themselves against theft by hiding their keys more effectively - and not just keep them on the hall table or a hook by the door. The AA also said that technological developments in car starting mechanisms mean that they cannot be "hotwired" to work without their keys as before, increasing the importance of keys for criminals.
Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance, commented: "We are certainly seeing more claims where cars have been taken following a confrontation or where customers have found their car has disappeared off the drive and the keys have gone because their home was broken into. We believe many such cars are stolen to order and thieves may be waiting for the right opportunity to seize them."
