Car Thieves Targeting Family Cars

It’s fifthly, slightly scratched and incredibly messy inside (thanks to your kids) but your family car is actually more appealing to thieves than you think.

A recent survey has shown that car thieves are changing their habits and targeting your average family car instead of the prestige vehicles such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes. And it’s all down to the recession.

The struggling economy has caused car buyers to tighten their belts and search out a bargain, pushing car thieves to adjust their targets. It now appears that lower value cars are just as valuable to the car thieves as the fancy sports cars, including your battered Vauxhall Meriva.

So, how can you protect yourself? Luckily, advances in car security have made new cars harder to steal than ever but crime figures are still on the rise. Theft by the stealing of car keys is up to 80% in quarter one of 2010 and more and more car thieves are resulting to burglaries, car-jackings and muggings just to get their hands on your car keys. Scary stuff!

Many owners are now investing in a GPS vehicle tracking system to protect their vehicle. If your car is stolen, GPS technology pinpoints the exact location of your vehicle, allowing the 24 hour operating centre to liaise with Police, Security and Recovery services. Some car security systems even arrange for a security guard to wait with your vehicle until recovery can be arranged.

It does appear that some things never change however, with the BMW X5 remaining as the most commonly stolen car of 2010. London and Greater London also remain as the hot spots for car theft with Essex and Greater Manchester following closely behind.

Hmmmm… best make sure I’ve locked the car door!