One In Seven Cars Vandalised

30/09/2005

Six in 10 (63 per cent) motorists have had the misfortune of having their vehicle defaced at some time with one in eight car owners experiencing car vandalism in the past 12 months.

This equates to five million cars being vandalised each year at an average cost of £267 per incident, according to Direct Line. This equals £1.3 billion overall cost to the industry each year.

According to Direct Line research more than half (58 per cent) of all motorists who have experienced car vandalism in the past year did not report the crime to the police as they felt the authorities would not act.

Most common damage is the car being keyed (53 per cent) followed by smashed windows (33 per cent) and bent antennas (26 per cent). Substantially worse crimes are also experienced by an unlucky few including punctured tyres (14 per cent), stolen badges (11 per cent) and the vehicle being graffitied (four per cent).

The majority of motorists (93 per cent) say that they are very concerned about the crime. In particular, research reveals motorists are becoming scared to park their vehicle in certain cities with 8 out of ten motorists (79 per cent) worrying about where they leave their car.

Motorists also cited concerns about multi-storey car parks (57 per cent) and ....cont/

train stations (55 per cent) feeling they would be high-risk places to park.

Emma Holyer, Direct Line’s Motor spokesperson said:

“Direct Line deals with many vandalism claims every year for our customers and it’s a growing concern for all car owners. Many motorists believe this type of crime only happens in inner cities or car parks whereas your car is actually most at risk parked in a quiet dark street away from any street lamps.

“We would urge motorists to use their garage or driveway if they have one and always try to park in well-lit open areas. In addition, make sure any car parks you use have good lighting and are well supervised.”

The top five most feared cities for vandalism are London (24 per cent), Liverpool (11 per cent), Manchester (10 per cent), Birmingham (seven per cent) and Glasgow (six per cent).

The fear of vandalism is causing one in 10 (13 per cent) drivers to boycott destinations they think are high risk, while one in five (19 per cent) refuse to buy a prestige motor because they feel it’s likely to be targeted by vandals.

Emma Holyer, added:

“It is a worry that motorists feel so concerned about vandalism that it is putting them off buying the car of their choice. The reality is that ....cont/

Industry Leading Step
Date: 14 October 2005 Ref:54/05 Direct Line is taking the industry leading step of continuing to offer the 'Driving Other Cars' cover as standard in its car insurance policies. Many other insurers are removing this cover under the...read more

this is an opportunist crime and vandals can strike any car at any time and if motorists are worried the most important thing they can do is to protect themselves with comprehensive insurance cover with a company they can trust.”

Notes:

The research was carried out on behalf of Direct Line motor insurance by YouGov. A nationally representative sample of 1,641 UK drivers were questioned online between 6th to 8th September 2005.

*There are 33.8 million drivers in the UK (Census data, 2001) and according to the YouGov findings repairs cost an average of £267 to fix the cars following a car vandalism attack. 15 per cent of all motorists have had their vehicle vandalised in the past 12 months. 0.15 x 33,809,493= 5,071,423. £267 x 5,071,423 = £1.3 billion.

VOTED BY MOTORISTS – MOST FEARED PLACES FOR VEHICLE VANDALISM.

- In certain towns or cities (79 per cent and London voted top).
- Multi-storey car parks (57 per cent).
- Railway car parks (55 per cent).
- Shopping centre car parks (39 per cent).
- Residential streets (31 per cent).

VOTED BY MOTORISTS - TOP 10 CITIES MOST FEARED FOR VEHICLE VANDALISM.

- London
...cont/

MORE THAN COMMENTS
26 April 2006 1 in 6 UK motorists say they would consider switching to a hybrid vehicle1 Hybrid vehicle registrations have already risen 74% between 2004 and 20052 Reducing school run traffic by 10% could prevent 190 deaths and serious...read more

- Liverpool
- Manchester
- Birmingham
- Glasgow
- Bradford
- Cardiff
- Croydon
- Coventry
- Yorkshire (East Riding)

TOP TEN LIST OF VEHICLE VANDALISM EXPERIENCED BY MOTORISTS.

- Car keyed (53 per cent).
- Car windows smashed (33 per cent).
- Side mirrors smashed (30 per cent).
- Antennas bent/ damaged (26 per cent).
- Tyres punctured/ damaged (14 per cent).
- Badges stolen (11 per cent).
- Graffiti on vehicle (four per cent).
- Tail-lights smashed (four per cent).
- Seats slashed (one per cent).
- Soft top slashed (one per cent).

REASONS WHY MOTORISTS DID NOT REPORT THEIR CAR CRIME TO THE POLICE.

- Didn’t feel the police could catch the vandal (68 per cent).
- Not worth the hassle (60 per cent).
- Didn’t feel the police would act (56 per cent).
- Felt it seemed trivial compared to other crimes (32 per cent).
- Couldn’t get hold of the police (two per cent).
- Felt it was my fault for parking somewhere unsafe (one per cent).