Police and insurance companies say skilled car thieves can circumvent the most sophisticated theft-deterrent devices, but a surprising number of consumers may make it easy for even rank amateurs to swipe vehicles.
A survey conducted on the Internet by Progressive Insurance Co. shows that 55 percent of consumers leave their car doors unlocked, 34 percent leave windows open and 6 percent leave the keys in the vehicle while it is unattended.
Neither Progressive nor other insurers have data that show how many of the more than 1 million vehicles stolen in the U.S. last year were unlocked or had the keys inside.
Though consumers will admit to bad habits in an anonymous online survey, they may not be as honest when reporting a stolen vehicle to police or their insurer.
“Would you?” asked Carolyn Gorman, a vice president for the Insurance Information Institute, a trade group based in New York and funded by the insurance agency.
“Most people aren’t going to admit they left their keys in the car or the doors unlocked in that situation,” said Bill Raines, government affairs counsel for the Palos Hills-based National Insurance Crime Bureau, which compiles statistics for the industry.
Even if a vehicle owner confesses to leaving keys in a car, insurance companies will likely pay theft claims. For example, Progressive and State Farm, the largest insurer in Illinois and the nation, say they honor claims under such circumstances.
“People make mistakes, and that’s one of the reasons they buy insurance,” State Farm spokesman Joe Johnson said.
“Even if the insurance company knows, they aren’t going to put a little tag on the policy with a big red `S’ on it” for stupid, Gorman adds.
What if it happens a second time?
“It wouldn’t mean an automatic `You’re out of here,’ but they would probably think about it a little more,” she said.
When told of Progressive’s survey, Sgt. Robert Cargie, a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department, said he doubts the results apply to Chicago because motorists here are more diligent about protecting their vehicles from theft.
“If the survey was done locally, the numbers would be much lower,” he said. “People just face up to the realities of urban living.”
The Insurance Crime Bureau says 43,329 vehicles were stolen in the Chicago area last year, more than any metropolitan area. However, based on population, the Chicago area ranked 34th in the nation in vehicle theft rate.
Chicago police say 15,196 vehicles were stolen in the city in the first seven months this year, down from 17,088 a year earlier.
The Insurance Crime Bureau recommends a “layered approach” to preventing vehicle theft that includes adding warning devices, electronic immobilizing systems and tracking devices such as Lojack and OnStar based on the value of the vehicle and the likelihood it will be stolen.
The simplest and cheapest protection, the Insurance Crime Bureau adds, is “common sense” that starts with removing the key from the ignition and locking the doors.
