Drivers admit to car security blunders despite rise in thefts

Motorists are failing to employ key security methods for their vehicles – despite a rise in car crime.

New research has shown how many drivers are ignoring simple steps that could dramatically increase the security of their cars.

Revealed as part of a survey of 2,079 drivers conducted by Halfords, the research shows that one in five motorists don't use any security precautions on their car, while 43 per cent of owners don't even stop to pull the vehicle's door handle to check whether it is locked.

Another 42 per cent admit to leaving car ownership documents in the vehicle, while 43 per cent don't attempt to hide their keys at home.

Michael Fraser, former offender turned security expert, said: "Car theft is usually an opportunistic crime. Thieves are looking to take advantage of any obvious weakness in your car's security.

"Anything you can do to secure your car, and make it less vulnerable to theft is a really good thing."

Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that car theft increased by nine per cent in 2018 – driven by the increase in keyless car crime. However, only five per cent of drivers put their keyless fob in a signal-blocking RFID wallet, and 23 per cent believe that leaving their keys on a worktop is an acceptable pace to store them.

Pavan Sondhi, Halfords' car security expert, added: "New in-car security systems can only do so much to prevent a car being stolen. From our research it seems that many anti-theft systems can be easily bypassed and using a simple device like an RFID wallet can prevent your fob being hacked for a small amount of money."