One of the impacts of the global lockdowns caused by COVID-19 has been the lack of supply of goods, which has caused shortages in a variety of industries.
This has been particularly acute in respect of new vehicles coming into the country causing prices to rise. In addition, with the huge increase in courier vehicle fleets over the last 18 months there is a national shortage of vans.
I have no doubt that this, along with the financial impact of the recession, has contributed to the apparent increase in vehicle thefts in recent months. Anecdotally, there has been a significant number of vehicle thefts within the South Yorkshire region, across a broad range of categories including performance vehicles, four-wheel drives and commercials, too.
There has also been a worrying increase in vehicles with keyless entry being stolen, with 101 being stolen between December 20 and January 21.
Clearly no one wants to have their car or van stolen – however, as a business this can have a significant impact on productivity, particularly if you are unable to find a replacement.
It is therefore incredibly important to have a strategy around the security of your vehicles and consider how you could mitigate the risks of losing one of them.
Here are a few things to consider regarding your vehicle security:
- Fit a steering wheel lock
Believe it or not, one of the best deterrents to thieves and a great way to avoid keyless entry theft is to fit an old-fashioned steering wheel lock. - Consider keeping your vehicles inside
If you have the space within your commercial property then consider bringing vehicles in overnight and at weekends where appropriate. - Have a safe place for keys
While keeping a vehicle indoors is helpful, we do see properties being broken into to steal the keys. It could be worth keeping the keys inside a safe if you have one. - Fit a tracker
While a tracker may seem like an expensive option, these can be invaluable in either stopping the vehicle being stolen in the first place, or more importantly in recovering it later.
Where vehicles are adequately insured, your motor insurers will make a fair settlement for the current market value of the vehicle – however, you may not get a courtesy vehicle and if you do it may only be for a maximum of 14 days.
It is inevitable that this would cause disruption to your business, and you may not find that you can obtain a like for like replacement.
Overall, it could be far more cost-effective to spend a little more in protecting your vehicles – rather than dealing with the consequences of losing one.
Sam Leeder ACII Actus Insurance
samleeder@actusinsurance.co.uk 0114 2903624 07718 189476