Auto theft costs draw concern

Roughly half of the amount paid by insurers through claims resulting from comprehensive auto cover on new vehicles is caused by theft, the Insurance Crime Prevention Bureau (ICPB) and the Vehicle Information Centre of Canada (VICC) recently disclosed.

At a Canadian Association of Special Investigation Units luncheon, Terri Maclean, COO of the ICPB says that loss recovery is among the bureau’s new areas of focus as the organization restructures. Through that unit, vehicle branding and VIN identification will become priorities, including the establishment of an online salvage registry in early 2001.

At the luncheon, new Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino expressed dismay at the drop in recovery rates for stolen vehicles. “Two-tier policing won’t work,” he says, and information must flow freely within the force, from organizations like the ICPB and from companies themselves. The link between auto theft and other crimes must also be a point of focus.

At the same time, the Ontario Crime Control Commission released its report, “Auto Theft: The Human Costs”. The report recommends the creation of an auto theft prevention authority and dedicated provincial dollars to fight auto theft. It also advises the federal government to provide a network for provincial licensing databases and that removing or tampering with a VIN plate be made a criminal offense.

The VICC also recently released its “How Cars Measure Up” publication in which the Hyundai Tiburon FS 1998/99 models have been identified as the most frequently stolen vehicles in Canada. The Toyota 4-Runner tops the list for highest theft claim cost per vehicle at more than seven times the average cost for 1998 and 1999 models.