Comparison website Quotezone.co.uk has compiled and analysed information from Police forces across England and Wales and discovered that rural areas tend to have less recorded vehicle crime than inner cities and airport car parks. The survey revealed that North Wales has some of the safest postcodes, whilst inner London, most of Scotland and Birmingham were amongst the worst.
Very little of this makes any real sense of course, as anyone who has visited sleepy towns in Dumfries and Galloway, or parked a nice car overnight in rougher parts of Deeside, Rhyl or Wrexham will know. A much more detailed, granular breakdown of vehicle crime is required before making any assumptions about `safe’ areas of the UK.
Top 10 best places to own a car in the UK (by police force):
- North Wales
- Dyfed – Powys
- Norfolk
- Gwent
- Cheshire
- Devon and Cornwall
- West Mercia
- North Yorkshire
- Staffordshire
- Cumbria
Top 10 worst places to own a car in the UK (by police force):
- City of London
- Police Scotland
- Metropolitan Police (London)
- West Midlands
- Bedfordshire
- Warwickshire
- South Yorkshire
- West Yorkshire
- Greater Manchester
- Cambridgeshire
Quotezone reckon that the results of their survey are shocking and found crime hotspots near a hospital in Birmingham and Manchester’s long stay airport parking facilities. Given that many of the parking operations near Manchester involve handing your keys over to strangers via `meet and greet’ smartphone apps, plus nobody knows where the cars are actually being parked for two weeks, none of this surprises us at Insurance Edge.
“Our research into accident and vehicle offences in the UK is shocking to say the least,” said Greg Wilson, Founder of Quotezone.co.uk. We found that Birmingham is a hotspot for vehicle crimes with the city reporting 100 vehicle crimes in July 2018 alone, and 11% of these incidents were near a children’s hospital.”
“Car theft rates are also particularly high at Manchester Airport, where the vehicles are left unattended for long periods of time, with 74 incidents in July. “This just goes to show how vital it is to safeguard your vehicle and have the right level of insurance in place to save any potential heartache and financial strain in the future.”
Additionally, Quotezone.co.uk have revealed some top tips to avoid car theft, such as: Turning your car wheels into the curb, keeping your valuables out of sight and installing an anti-theft system.
Insurance Edge would also add; install a dashcam that features motion sensor activation, plus a smartphone alert, plus lock any modern proximity type ignition key away inside a metal box overnight. Don’t leave it in the hallway where it can be electronically scanned. Then there’s the old fashioned yellow steering lock – a dull, but worthy deterrent against the casual car thief which can be had for £25 online.
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