Vandals Cost Car Owners £650 Million A YearJanuary 13th, 2008
A recent survey carried out by Direct Line has shown that more than two in five motorists have fallen victim to car vandalism. In 2007 the total bill for the victims was estimated at £659 million this is a staggering rise of more than £100 million compared to the 2006 figure.
The most common forms of vandalisms were scratched paintwork and keys being run along a vehicle. This type of vandalism made up 43% of motorists with the second most common forms of vandalism being damaged wing mirrors and smashed windows.
The survey also revealed that 58% of victims over the last 20 years didn’t report their most recent incident to the police although 77% made a claim on their insurance to cover the damage. Head of car insurance at Direct Line, Tony Chilcott, has said,
“Car vandalism is a crime which often goes unreported as many victims believe that doing so is a fruitless and frustrating exercise. Official figures show that vandalism overall is a growing crime, but as our research shows many acts of car vandalism go unreported, meaning that the actual number will be significantly higher.”
Have you been a victim of vandalism? Did you claim on your insurance?
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