(Bloomberg) -- All those sophisticated theft-prevention deviceswon’t save your car if you leave the keys inside, a lesson thatmore Americans are learning the hard way.
|U.S. car thefts with keys left inside jumped 14% from 2012 to2014, reaching 44,828 last year, according to a study issued Mondayby the National Insurance Crime Bureau. The actualnumber is probably higher because some people don’t admit theircarelessness to police or their insurer, the NICB said.
|“Stealing a vehicle is very difficult with today’s anti- thefttechnology and leaving the keys in the vehicle is an openinvitation for the opportunistic car thief,” NICB Chief ExecutiveOfficer Joe Wehrle said in a statement.
|[Related: You're the prime suspect if your car isstolen]
|Criminals are otherwise having a harder time stealing carsbecause of devices like smart keys and fuel pump disablers designedto prevent hot wiring of vehicles. About 660,000 cars were stolenin the U.S. last year, according to NICB, which uses data from theFBI. That’s an 8.5% decline since 2012.
|The NICB advised drivers to stay with their cars when giving thevehicles time to warm up on winter days, and to bring the keysalong even on short trips to convenience stores. Some people wholeave keys behind may be hoping to have their car stolen to collectthe insurance, the group said.
|Copyright 2018 Bloomberg. All rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten,or redistributed.
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