Britain's Motorists Regularly Leave GBPBillions in Their Cars Overnight

LONDON, April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- British motorists regularly leave an astonishing 3.2 BILLION pounds Sterling worth of belongings in their cars overnight, according to new research from leading insurer, Your Cover car insurance, part of Allianz Insurance.

The research showed that despite the ever present risk of car crime, motorists appear to be content to leave expensive items in their cars and hope the vehicle will not be broken into while they sleep.

According to the survey, the most common high value items left in unattended cars overnight include:  

• Portable sat navs
• MP3 players
• Golf clubs
• Mobile phones
• Sun glasses
• Cameras
• Handbags
• Wallets
• DVD players
• Jewellery

Andy James, a spokesman for Your Cover, which conducted the poll of 2,000 motorists said:

"People are taking a risk if they leave high value items in their cars overnight. 53 per cent of motorists also reported that they did not always lock their cars at night which is asking for trouble. Most insurers will insist that items stolen from an unoccupied car such as sat navs, MP3 players, and mobile phones must be in a locked boot and the keys must be removed from the vehicle."  

He added:  "People who make claims for theft from their cars risk losing their no claims discount. Drivers could also find that they have insufficient cover as insurers impose financial limits for items stolen from cars."

The report also identified some of the more 'unusual' items people leave in their cars which include:

• A spare set of false teeth
• A dead hamster's ashes for good luck
• Tomato ketchup
• Sewing machine
• Air beds
• Vacuum cleaners
• Board games – presumably to play in traffic jams
• And not forgetting Harry the Lamb. (The assumption is that Harry is a cuddly toy and not a real Lamb!)

Male and Female Variations

As you might expect the most popular items ladies keep in their cars are make up and spare shoes. For the men it's sports and car equipment. Men it seems are much more likely to leave their gym shoes in the car then women because, as one respondent delicately put it:

"My trainers smell so bad even the dog runs a mile if I bring them into the house."

Men and women are neck and neck when it comes to leaving eight CDs in their cars. However, women are much more likely than men to have an umbrella in the car, but men pip the ladies when it comes to having that all important set of spanners in the boot. Although as one male respondent put it:

"I've got a set of spanners in the boot but I've no idea what I'd do with them if the car broke down."

1 in 3 ladies compared to 1 in 4 men confess that they consider their cars to be a bit of a 'dumping ground' for things they did not want to keep in the house. But perhaps the real answer as to why some people's cars are home to so much 'stuff' is that nearly half the survey sample admitted they had not sorted out the contents of their car at all in the last 12 months.  

Notes to Editors:

1. Allianz Insurance is one of the largest general insurers in the UK and part of the Allianz SE Group, the largest property and casualty insurer worldwide. Reassuringly in these uncertain financial times, in July 2010 the Standard and Poor's rating for Allianz Insurance was reaffirmed as AA- with a stable outlook and the rating of Allianz SE was also reaffirmed as AA with a stable outlook.

Also in July 2010, Allianz Insurance won the General Insurer of the Year title at the prestigious British Insurance Awards, the third time the Company has won the award in the last six years.

2.  Your Cover insurance quotes are available online at www.yourcoverinsurance.co.uk. Your Cover Insurance policyholders have the option of varying the amount they insure the contents of their cars for online.

SOURCE Allianz Insurance plc