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Figures released by a leading car insurer Admiral suggest that motorists
are heeding warnings by the police and not leaving valuable items in their
cars over the Christmas and New Year period. Admiral has studied figures
for break-ins at car parks over the last five years and discovered the
number has halved between 1999 and 2004. It is now one of the quietest
periods of the year for car thieves.
Admiral researched one and a half million claims over the last five years
and specifically the number involving a theft from a car parked in a car
park at the end of December and beginning of January. It found that the
number of claims has dropped by between 10% and 33% every year.
Admiral managing director, Jane Stone, said, "Traditionally the
number of shoppers during Christmas and the January Sales meant a rise
in the number of thefts in car parks. But there has been a lot of campaigning
from insurers and the police over the last few years and our evidence
suggests that maybe motorists are taking notice and keeping their valuables
out of sight."
Five years ago the percentage of cars insured with Admiral that were
broken into during the four week period was 0.11%, last year the figure
was just 0.055%, a fall of 50%. Although the final figures for this year
are not yet available it looks like the trend will continue.
Jane Stone continued, "Obviously car security is better now than
it was five years ago, but high publicity campaigns telling people to
lock their valuables out of site must be working as it is the only way
to prevent the opportunist car thief. But we want car owners to stay vigilant
during the January Sales."
Issue date: 23-12-03
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