News

Vehicle theft and vehicle break-ins represent almost twenty-five percent of all criminal activity in the Czech Republic. According to statistical data from the police, there were a total of 20,329 vehicles stolen in the Czech Republic in 2007 – which means that on average, a car was stolen from somewhere in the country every 26 minutes. The DIRECT Pojišťovna insurance company has thus taken a non-traditional approach in order to raise the public's awareness of this alarming situation and it decided to show how easy it can be these days to steal a car.

A young man with a hidden face is holding a TV remote control in his hand while explaining to his companion how to use the remote he's holding to steal a car. When he approaches a nearby parked vehicle, he opens the car's automatic door locks with a single pressing of the buttons on the remote and he immediately gets behind the wheel. His companion is videotaping the entire scene.

This and four other video clips have been entertaining visitors to the youtube.com video sharing website since August 6, 2008. In just the past 6 weeks, the videos have been viewed approximately 1.5 million times. The video clips are part of an awareness campaign launched by DIRECT Pojišťovna in an effort to demonstrate to vehicle owners how easily their car can become a target for thieves.

The entertaining clips demonstrate in a slightly exaggerated way several unconventional methods that “can” be used to steal a car. The simulated incidents, during which the person stealing the car breaks into the vehicle using tools such as a magnet and a toilet plunger, have become a real item of interest on the internet.

"We tried to find a non-traditional form of communication, which could attract people's attention to the problem of vehicle security and insurance and encourage a public discussion about different types of vehicle security features – and, it appears as though we've succeeded," said Klaudia Tóthová, the Sales and Marketing Director of DIRECT Pojišťovna, in commenting on the results of the awareness campaign.

Car thieves are becoming more-and-more sophisticated. Cars today are often stolen by organized criminal gangs whose members have clearly assigned responsibilities. While one of them handles the deactivation of the car's security features, another person is in charge of the transportation of the vehicle into a shop where it is dismantled. Another person takes care of the alteration of the vehicle's identification features and the obtaining of fake documents. Yet another person handles the subsequent sale and re-registration of the car.

Experts estimate that roughly 70 - 80% of all stolen vehicles are disassembled in a matter of hours after being taken and the parts are then sold by the thieves. The stolen components are used as spare parts for repair work or for the assembly of an entirely new vehicle. Approximately 20% of all stolen vehicles – usually those that fall into the more expensive and newer category – are exported out of the country. Such thefts are often associated with insurance fraud.

Since 1990, the number of vehicle thefts that are solved has dropped dramatically in the Czech Republic. From the mid-1990's, the percentage of solved cases remained at about 16%. But, over the last couple of years, this rate has dropped even lower – down to roughly 14%.

When it comes to the percent of stolen vehicles that are subsequently found, the Czech Republic falls way behind EU averages, where the number is approximately 60%. The number of cases that have been delisted from the information system of the Czech police suggests that in the Czech Republic, the percentage of vehicles that are eventually recovered is only about 30%. This number however also includes missing vehicles, which were not actually stolen, and situations in which only a part of the stolen vehicle is recovered.

Useful advice on protecting your vehicle from theft or break-in:

• Use a combination of several different security features and systems.
• Park your vehicle in well-lighted areas where the vehicle can be directly seen.
• Never leave any valuables in the car – this includes a car radio and a navigation system.
• When driving in a city, keep the car doors locked and protect yourself from the theft of items left in the backseat or in the luggage compartment (e.g. while waiting at a red light).
• Be cautious about letting anyone else take possession of your car keys.
• Have your vehicle properly insured.

***

DIRECT Pojišťovna entered the Czech market on 21 May 2007 with direct sales of auto insurance. Initially it offered third party liability insurance, to which it added automobile casco insurance in August 2007. In April of this year, it extended its product portfolio to include motorcycle insurance.

The sole shareholder of DIRECT Pojišťovna, a.s. is Intouch Insurance Group B.V., which is 50% owned by international group DIFI (Direct Insurance Financial Investments Ltd.) and 50% by British insurance group RSA (RSA Insurance Group Plc.).

download pdf