£1.6bn valuables left in UK's cars

31/01/12

By Paul McGurk

A new study has suggested UK motorists are collectively leaving belongings worth an amazing £1.6 billion in their cars.

Sat navs, clothes and sunglasses topped the list of items most at risk after being left in vehicles, the Populus survey found. It also revealed that more than half of motorists leave expensive items in their cars overnight, with many failing to lock them out of sight in the boot or glove box.

Mobile phones, iPods and MP3s and cash totalling more than £20 were also found to have been left behind by careless car owners.

On top of that, drivers could be underestimating how much their belongings are actually worth. Many who leave things in the car overnight believe they are worth around £85, when in fact the British Crime Survey reveals that the average amount stolen from vehicles was roughly £200.

Matching this to unattended and unsecured cars can mean easy pickings for thieves - the survey also revealed that thieves got into vehicles through doors simply being left unlocked in more than a third of incidents.