Car vandalism rife in Britain’s suburbs

18th April 2010

• Four in ten motorists has been a victim of car vandals
• 6.7million motorists have had their cars 'keyed'

Motorists across Britain are being targeted by car vandals while their cars are parked in seemingly safe residential areas.

A new report by Direct Line reveals four in ten motorists (39 per cent) have been a victim of car vandalism*, with two thirds of these attacks taking place while the owners’ cars were parked in residential neighbourhoods. Nearly half of these cars were parked on the street outside the motorist’s own home (49 per cent) at the time of the vandalism, while a further 17 per cent were parked in another residential street.

'Keyed' or deliberately scratched paintwork is the most common form of damage caused by vandals (52 per cent of incidents), with the equivalent of 6.7million motorists** having had their cars' paintwork deliberately scratched. A third (34 per cent) of car vandalism victims had their wing mirrors smashed or broken. Seven per cent of vandalism victims even had their car tyres slashed.

1. Keyed or scratched paintwork (52 per cent)
2. Broken wing mirrors (34 per cent)
3. Smashed windows (22 per cent)
4. Snapped aerial (20 per cent)
5. Snapped windscreen wipers (12 per cent)

BMWs are the most frequently targeted model of car, with 49 per cent of BMW owners reporting deliberate damage to their car, in comparison with an average 39 per cent of motorists.

The North West is the car vandalism hotspot of the UK, with 44 per cent of motorists in the region having had their car vandalised compared with the national average of 39 per cent.

Andy Goldby, Director of Motor Underwriting at Direct Line, commented:
"Car vandalism is a persistent problem for motorists in the UK. It causes considerable stress and inconvenience to arrange repairs of the damage caused by vandals, and many motorists consequently feel that they cannot park their car in safety outside their own home."

Whilst car vandalism rarely causes serious damage to the car, it can still cost hundreds of pounds to repair the damage to the car’s exterior. The research also found that the damage caused by vandals costs an average of £422 to repair.

Andy Goldby added: "Direct Line will preserve our customers No Claims Discount if they are the victim of vandalism. It is not fair that victims of crime should suffer further through the loss of their No Claims Discount and so our policy guards against that."

Direct Line’s policy preserves claimants’ No Claims Discount if they are victims of car vandalism, including cover against common damage such as the car being keyed and smashed windows, and more substantial crimes such as slashed tyres and car graffiti. Incidents need to be reported to the police and assigned a crime reference number. Claimants will need to pay the excess and any damage being claimed for cannot have been caused by another vehicle.

To help protect yourself against car vandalism or for further details on Direct Line car insurance visit our website today.

Notes to editors
*Direct Line research commissioned with Opinium Research in an online poll of 2,009 UK adults from 2nd to 5th February 2010. Of these 1,524 were motorists.
**39 per cent of 33m motorists in GB (source: ONS) = 12,870,000 are car vandalism victims. 52 per cent of 12,870,000 = 6,692,400 had their cars keyed.

For further information, please contact:
For further information, please contact:
Vicky Perry
Direct Line
Tel: 0208 313 5741
Email: vicky.perry@rbs.co.uk

Started in 1985, Direct Line became the first UK insurance company to use the telephone as its main channel of communication. It provides car, home, travel and pet insurance cover direct to customers by phone or online.

Direct Line is part of RBS Insurance, the second largest general insurer in the UK and is wholly owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Customers can find out more about Direct Line products or get a quote by calling 0845 246 3564 or visiting www.directline.com

Direct Line Insurance plc is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered office: 3 Edridge Road, Croydon, Surrey CR9 1AG. Registered in England and Wales no. 01810801. The Financial Services Authority's Register can be accessed through www.fsa.gov.uk.

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