Profile of Wanted Vehicle

May 20 - A new report that takes an holistic look at the vehicle crime rates in South Africa has been released by the South African Business Against Crime group, in the hope of educating the public and car insurance industry more about the matter.

According to the report, entitled "The Profile of a Wanted Vehicle", only 43% of stolen cars are ever recovered after they are reported to the police, proving that organized crime is behind the majority of car thefts in the country.

The report said that only 50% of those cars stolen found their way back into the South African market, with 30% exported to other countries and the final 20% sent to 'chop shops' as spare parts.

As outlined by the report, the profile of a typical 'wanted' car in South Africa remains unchanged from previous years.

Older cars, ie. those 7 - 21 years on the road, are mostly targeted by car thieves, while newer cars (up to 4 years old) are more involved in hijacking cases.

Mini busses top the list of cars that are more likely to be hijacked, while both pick ups and mini busses are at risk of being stolen or hijacked equally.

Cars that enjoy a high market volume are also, unfortunately, high in demand among car thieves, says the report.

The report also examined what measures could be taken to lower the risk of theft and these included anti theft devices, the marking of vehicles, buying vehicles that were not at high risk, and so forth.

Finally, the report gives South Africans important tips about how to purchase a car in the correct way, how to ensure that the car has the correct security devices to meet the demands of any car insurance firm, and how to verify that the transaction is 'kosher'.