Car Loot

- Over 16 million motorists(1) use their car boots to hide Christmas presents –

New research reveals that nearly half of Brits (48 per cent) use their car boot as a hiding place for Christmas presents before the big day, despite the fact that almost half of motorists (45 per cent) have accidentally left their cars unlocked and a trusting one in five (20 per cent) even admitting to occasionally leaving their cars unlocked whilst present delivering.

According to esure car insurance(2), the most common car security lapses in December are leaving the car unlocked while bringing shopping into the house (72 per cent) and leaving the car unattended while warming up the engine (40 per cent). More than a quarter of motorists (27 per cent) admitted that the stress of organising the festivities has led them to make at least one of these mistakes.

Providing further temptation to thieves, 43 per cent of motorists have left their shopping bags on display after leaving the car. A third (33 per cent) have also left a mobile phone visible, while one in five (20 per cent) had even left money on display.

This could all lead to an early Christmas for criminals as last year there were 1,514,000 recorded car related thefts in England and Wales, with less than half (41 per cent) of those who have had items stolen from their cars reporting it to the police(3).

The study found that Brits plan to splash out an average of £685.80 each on Christmas this year. Gifts of technology and gadgets will be the most expensive items under the tree with Brits forking out £111.99 on average, followed by children’s toys (£73.94) and clothing (£70.76). In addition to presents, the average Brit plans to spend £191.55 on festive food and drink, £79.19 on new outfits for parties and £47.38 on decorations.

Almost half of men (46 per cent) shop for most of their Christmas presents in a single trip, compared to just over a third (36 per cent) of women. A quarter of Brits (25 per cent) have spent more than £500 on a single Christmas present.

Top ten regions where motorists use their car boots to hide Christmas presents:

Wales (52 per cent)
South West (51 per cent)
Eastern Region (51 per cent)
North East (50 per cent)
Northern Ireland (50 per cent)
East Midlands (49 per cent)
South East (49 per cent)
North West (48 per cent)
Scotland (48 per cent)
West Midlands (47 per cent)

Mike Pickard, Head of Risk and Underwriting at esure car insurance, said: “It is easy to get swept up in the festive atmosphere around Christmas, but sensible precautions can help to avoid a stolen Christmas this year as unfortunately not everyone will be in the spirit of the season.

“Always lock your doors when you leave your car and if you do have to leave valuables inside then ensure that they are kept well away from prying eyes. A second pair of hands to help take the shopping into the house also provides an extra pair of eyes to watch over your car and ward off any criminal opportunists.”

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esure’s press contacts:
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Notes to Editors:
(1)16,090,610 is an estimation based on 48 per cent of the total UK motoring population based on DfT Transport Statistics – 33,522,106 motor vehicles currently licensed 2006. This is a projected figure based on the 1,600 motorists surveyed (2)esure used the independent online research company FlyResearch who surveyed 1,600 British motorists from across the country between 1st and 3rd November 2010. FlyResearch is an online market research company. Its researches are members of the MRS, PRCA, BPC and Esomar, and abide by their guidelines. Further information is available at www.FlyResearch.com.
(3)http://tna.europarchive.org/20100413151426/homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb1109vol1.pdf