Modern cars 'all but impossible to steal'

Car theft has fallen by two-thirds in the last seven years, prompting one expert to claim that modern cars are “all but impossible to steal”.

Those words, from BBC Transport Correspondent Richard Scott, are in response to the latest car theft figures, which indicate a staggering reduction - and one that shows no sign of slowing.

In 1991, 600,000 cars were stolen in the UK, while in 2009 that figure had dropped to 119,000. In 2010, 107,000 cars were taken, and the majority of those were over three years old.

According to Andrew Miller of repair research company Thatcham, the reduction in thefts is largely due to “a raft of security systems including alarms, locks, immobilisers, toughened glass and tracking devices.”

Because stealing a car is no longer simply a case of taking a screwdriver to a car lock and pulling a few wires from beneath the steering column, thieves are now reliant on getting the keys.

That's why 80 percent of thieves use the car's keys, and it's estimated that one fifth of home burglaries are undertaken specifically to steal them.

Meanwhile, the British Insurance Security awards have been announced, with Volkswagen taking the top manufacturer prize for the second year in a row.

It won because of the high level of standard security across all 11 of its model ranges. Audi placed second, despite recording a higher number of first place positions in the various categories, and Volvo follows in third.

Some of the category winners are listed below:

City car / Supermini
Audi A1

Small Family Car
Volvo C30

Family Car
Citroen C5 Exclusive

Compact Executive Car
Audi A4

Compact MPV
Citroen C4 Picasso Exclusive

Large MPV
Volkswagen Sharan

Open-top Car
Audi A5 Cabriolet

Performance Car (including Coupe, Hot Hatch and Supercar)
Audi A8 W12 Quattro

Crossover
Volkswagen Tiguan

Compact 4x4
Audi Q5

Executive Car
Citroen C6

Luxury Car
Volkswagen Phaeton

Posting Source: http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/16062011/36/modern-cars-impossible-steal-0.html