Britain tops European league for car theft
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Motorists in the UK are twice as likely to have their vehicles stolen as anywhere else on the Continent, research by the motor insurance company Eagle Star has found. But Britain's position on top of the European car theft league does not indicate security shortcomings, manufacturers insisted yesterday.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said the types of cars being stolen abroad were the same as those being taken in the UK. "This indicates more than anything else that we have a more thriving theft business," said an SMMT spokesman.
The Eagle Star figures show that in England and Wales there are nearly 23 thefts per 1,000 cars - equivalent to one vehicle being stolen every minute. The overall UK figure is 22 cars stolen for every 1,000 in use - twice as bad as the next worst country, France. The theft rate for Scotland is 15.5 per 1,000, while the Northern Ireland rate is 14.6.
Car theft is lowest in Austria, where fewer than 1.5 per 1,000 were stolen in 1995. The next safest country is Switzerland, with three per 1,000.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments