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New figures have shown that vehicle thefts have jumped by 25% in the last year.
According to recently released ONS figures, over 130,000 vehicle thefts occurred in the UK in 2022, up from just over 104,000 the year before. The figures show an alarming rise in the rate of car theft around the country, with a large proportion of thefts occurring from semi-private residential parking.
The meteoric rise has sparked alarm amongst car owners, and with estimates revealing that only 2.4% of car thefts last year resulted in criminal charges being brought, people are looking for ways to prevent the most common forms of car theft before it happens.
What’s driving the rise in car theft?
The trend of tech-driven car theft continued through 2022, with a rise in relay theft, key cloning, and signal blocking being used in vehicle theft around the country. As keyless entry cars become more prevalent, thieves have been using a technology knowledge gap to their advantage and preying on loopholes in the systems to gain access to vehicles.
The most common methods that car thieves used last year, and the main drivers behind the rise in car theft, are:
Relay theft
Relay theft – otherwise known as keyless car theft – has been the biggest driver of car theft in 2022. Using cheap and available technology that can be bought online, thieves target cars with keyless entry and effectively amplify the signal from a key fob to open the car remotely. If you keep your keys near a window in your house or near an exterior wall, the car thieves can use this to find and amplify a signal without having to break into the property.
Key cloning
One of the less advanced technological methods of car theft recently has been key cloning – taking the keys and creating a digital copy of them. In principle, this works the same as getting a physical key cut, where the thief will acquire a key fob – perhaps during a car wash, at a mechanics, or after breaking into the home – and copy the key so that it opens your car.
Signal blocking
Signal blocking has been increasing when it comes to car theft in the past few years, and 2022 was no exception. This high-tech method of breaking into cars involves disrupting the signal that locks the car when a key fob is pressed and can affect all cars – not just keyless entry ones. A thief will wait nearby, and as you’re about to lock the car, they’ll activate a signal blocker to keep the car unlocked.
Effective ways to prevent car theft
An insurance-approved bollard is the most effective way to prevent vehicle theft. A driveway security bollard not only demonstrates that your vehicle is secure at the outset – providing a visible deterrent – but also prevents would-be thieves from taking the car, van, or caravan from the driveway initially.
Designed to prevent a car from building up speed and exiting the driveway, while still providing easy access with simple mechanisms to retract or remove, security posts for residential driveways from ATG Access offer the most effective car theft prevention available.
Even with keyless entry cars, if a thief breaks into the car, they won’t be able to drive it away if you have a driveway security post blocking them in. Of course, while a bollard does prevent taking the car from the driveway, we would always recommend that you remain vigilant when it comes to removing valuables from your vehicle – especially since the ONS figures also reported a 10% rise in theft from vehicles.
Check out the range of residential bollards that ATG Access offers to find the right option for you.
Whether you’re looking for removable bollards, telescopic bollards, or you need help to find out which is the right bollard for you, we’re always here to help.
Get in touch with the team today to find out more, and we’ll find the perfect driveway security bollard for you.
