20 December 2007
The number of car thefts in the UK increases at this time of year due to drivers leaving their cars to defrost on cold winter's mornings, the British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) has said.
Consequently, car insurance claims are on the up due to thefts committed on cold winter mornings.
Moreover, the issue comes as a car insurance headache - as firms are reluctant to uphold the claims due to the driver apparently causing the security lapse due to their own negligence.
Technical and Corporate Affairs Executive at BIBA Graeme Turdgill commented: "People go outside, switch their car on, go back inside and have a cup of coffee, and when they go outside, they've got no car.
"Insurers will be quite unlikely to pay because there will be an argument that you haven’t taken reasonable care - it could be contentious when it comes to claim time, depending on which insurer you're with."
Research from Endsleigh, released earlier this year, shows that car insurance claims in general have dropped over recent years - showing decreasing rates of car crime.
According to the study, 13 per cent less claims were made in 2006 than were in 2003.
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