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The top five items stolen from cars are:
| 1st |
Compact discs |
| 2nd |
Sunglasses |
| 3rd |
Handbags |
| 4th |
Golf Clubs |
| 5th |
Clothes |
(list does not include stereos which are covered
separately)
Every year elephant.co.uk receives thousands of theft claims
and during the summer many of these involve break-ins as people
leave car windows open and expensive items on show. But many victims
of car crime are left upset when they try to claim for their stolen
items. Most car insurers will only provide cover up to £100
for personal effects, but many motorists still leave items worth
much more lying around their car and end up disappointed when they
can't claim for them.
Head elephant at elephant.co.uk, Tanzie Oliver, said: "20%
of all our theft claims involve the theft of personal items. At
this time of year the figure rises as motorists tend to be more
relaxed about car security; they leave their windows open or the
roof off their car and they leave expensive items lying around.
"Like most insurers, we will only provide cover for up to
£100 for personal effects. All too often our customers try
to claim for things such as Gucci sunglasses or Prada handbags worth
hundreds of pounds."
CDs, sunglasses and golf clubs make up nearly 90% of all personal
effects claims elephant.co.uk receive each year, and they
are often designer brands. However elephant.co.uk has also
had claims for some very unusual items too, these include:
| Cowboy boots for line dancing |
| Leather shorts and a whip |
| 3,000 scented candles |
| The kits of an entire football team |
| Three sewing machines |
| Fluffy dice |
| £10,000 in cash |
But the best way to avoid having anything stolen from your car
is not to leave them on show and certainly not with the car window
open. Car thieves are opportunists, so don't even tempt them in
the first place and especially not with your Gucci sunglasses.
Issue date: 27/05/2004
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