What Every California Auto Insurance Shopper Needs to Know About Auto Theft, Auto Insurance and Their Car

What Every California Auto Insurance Shopper Needs to Know About Auto Theft, Auto Insurance and Their Car

Isn’t there something reassuring about getting back to the parking lot and

Walking out of the mall and finding an empty parking space where your car used to be is a horrible feeling.

finding your car exactly where you left it? With the number of cars, trucks and SUVs that are stolen in California every year it’s no wonder car owners are looking twice before locking up their cars and walking away. As much as we’d all love to deny it, if you happen to live in a high risk area you’re going to have to take the chances that your car will be stolen into consideration when you’re buying a California auto insurance provider.

Top 10 States for Vehicle Theft:

1) California

2) Texas

3) Florida

4) Arizona

5) Georgia

6) Michigan

7) Washington

Illinois

9) Ohio

10) Maryland

In recent studies done by the Insurance Information Institute it was discovered that California has the highest number of cars stolen each year of any state in the U.S.-period. In fact, statistics show that the number of cars ripped off in California exceeds Texas, the number two state, by over 100,000 per year. That’s 100,000 car owners each year that walk out of the mall, the zoo, work and their doctor’s offices and find their parking spot empty. That’s a horrible feeling.

Cars Most Likely to be Stolen, According to Past Data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau:

1) Honda Civic

2) Honda Accord

3) Toyota Camry

4) Ford F-150 Series Pickup

5) Chevy C/K 1500 Pickup

6) Acura Integra

7) Dodge Ram Pickup

Nissan Sentra

9) Toyota Pickup

10) Toyota Corolla

Click here for current statistics on your car.

The good news is that all of the California auto insurance companies you’re going to check out when you’re shopping around for a auto insurance policy covers car theft as part of their comprehensive coverage. If they didn’t they probably wouldn’t be in business very long! How much that coverage is going to cost you is going to depend on the usual suspects-what kind of car you drive, what that car’s Blue Book replacement cost happens to be, where in California you live, where you work, how far you commute each day. There’s almost no chance, however, that you will run into a California auto insurance provider that’s going to leave you high and dry if your car is “liberated” while you happen to be elsewhere.

Of course, just because you know that your California auto insurance provider is going to cover the theft doesn’t mean you actually want your car to be stolen in the first place! It’s important to take steps to make sure your car stays exactly where you left it as often as possible. Always make sure you lock your doors when you get out of your car, even if you’re only going to be away for a minute, and never leave your keys lying on the front seat. Park in a well lit area, preferably in the middle of the parking lot, and avoid parking in areas that are known to have a high incidence of vehicle theft when you can help it.

And for heaven’s sake, don’t walk away from your car when it’s running!

To really beef up your car’s security (and score major brownie points with the auto insurance companies) consider investing in a GPS tracking system that will allow you to follow your car and locate it easily if it’s been swiped and/or a fuel switch that makes it impossible to start the vehicle in the first place. Not only can these dramatically decrease the chances that you’ll come out the door after an evening at the theater to find nothing but air and a puddle of anti-freeze where your car used to be, but almost every California auto insurance provider you’re going to run into will give you major discounts for being more security conscious than the average bear.

The fact that you live in the state voted most likely to be victimized by car thieves isn’t going to be the only thing you should consider when you’re buying your California auto insurance policy, but it’s definitely going to be on the list. So do everything you can to keep your car in one piece and in one place and let your auto insurance provider take care of the rest.

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