Near-50% Rise In Thefts Suggests Cars Are Getting Less Secure
Newly revealed figures have detailed a huge rise in car thefts in the UK over the last five years, coinciding with the mass adoption of keyless car entry and start.
Some 48.7 per cent more cars were reported stolen in the most recent year on record versus the one five years previous. In the British 2017-18 financial year, which runs from 6 April to 5 April the following year, 111,999 cars were reported stolen compared to 75,308 in 2013-14.
The latest numbers equate to one car being stolen every five minutes. Recent years have seen a vast rise in the number of cars equipped with keyless systems that can be exploited with simple ‘relay theft’ technology, allowing the cars to be driven away without causing any damage to them. They can then be stripped and sold for valuable parts around Europe.
The RAC’s insurance director, Mark Godfrey, is quoted as saying the figures were “very disappointing.” He added:
“[This is a] depressing picture of a society where it is all too easy for gangs of thieves to break in and steal vehicles.”
Relay theft usually involves a pair of thieves, one of whom stands by a house’s front door with a transceiver that locates the proximity signal from the car’s actual key. The second simply stands by the car with another device that relays the signal again, fooling the car into thinking the genuine key is nearby. The door opens obligingly.
The same process allows the car to start, after which it can be driven away to wherever it’s being stripped, or, more usually, an enclosed box van or truck nearby that hides the stolen car from number plate recognition cameras and keeps the location of its final destination - and the journey route - secret.
The best way to prevent the theft is to keep the key in a central location in the house, well away from outer walls, or inside a signal-blocking wallet or box.
Research carried out by Auto Express found that less than half of the vehicles reported as stolen are recovered. Secure your ride, people!
Comments
Probably because if thiefs have one of those tablets to “hack” into a car they can easily do it to more of that model. You cant just start a car as easily with a key.
Fun fact: There are no safety features (did research on this a couple years ago, maybe not relevant anymore) in none of the protocols used in OBDII . This means as long you can get inside the vehicle you can run maleware through the OBD port and drive away.
I shut off my keyless entry in my Charger for this reason. Like it’s just inviting people to steal the car.
i don’t trust tech… or anything else, like a true american
Recently fitted an Autowatch Ghost Immoboliser on my dad’s Rolls. You have to enter a code for the car to start. Would highly recommend one of those.
My forester has the ultimate anti-theft device
I never understood those fears about cars being stolen. They were being stolen from the moment they got on sale. There are models that are more popular among thieves and there are models that are less popular. And the only way to sleep well is to make someone else deal with it. So you should have the car insured from all risks https://www.cheapautoinsurance.com/ and hijacking will become their headache. Additionally you can buy an unpopular car, but I am not sure this will work 100%.
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