As a smart business person you'd never leave a key in a vehicle you own, right? A vehicle with a key inside is an invitation to a thief. Yet, many people do leave keys in vehicles. Here is a common scenario.

It's an icy January morning and you are getting ready for work. Your company-owned truck is parked in your driveway. Your truck will be frigid on a morning like this so you decide to warm it up before heading out.

You dash out your front door and jump into the truck. You start the engine, drop the key into the cup holder and then run back into the house.

Five minutes later you walk out the door. Your truck should be nice and warm by now. You head to the driveway and then stop short. You stare in disbelief. Your truck is gone! Someone must have stolen it! A brazen thief swiped your truck right in front of your home!

You are annoyed and angry. You are also feeling a bit foolish. Leaving the key in the truck was a bad idea. Fortunately, your commercial autopolicy includes physical damage coverage. You pick up your cell phone and sheepishly call your auto insurer.

Thefts With Keys Increasing

Incidents like the one described above are not uncommon. A report published by the National Insurance Crime Bureau ((NICB) in April of 2015 showed that between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2014 126,603 vehicles were reported stolen with keys. The actual number of thefts was probably higher. Some victims were likely too embarrassed to admit they'd left the key in their vehicle.

Vehicle thefts with keys are on the rise. The NICB compared the number of vehicles stolen with keys to the total number of car thefts that occurred in each year between 2012 and 2014. As you can see from the table below, thefts of vehicles with keys increased each year both in absolute numbers and as a percentage of total thefts.

Year	# Vehicles Stolen With Keys	Percentage of Total Thefts
2012	39,345	5.4
2013	42,430	6.0
2014	44,828	6.7

 

The rise in auto thefts with keys may seem surprising given that vehicle thefts as a whole have declined substantially in recent years. The overall decline is partly due to technology. Modern cars are difficult to steal. However, car thieves are opportunists. Virtually any vehicle can be stolen if the keys are left inside.

More Thefts in Cold Weather

There's never a good time to leave your keys in a vehicle, but the worst time to do it is in the winter. According to the NICB's report an average of 115 vehicles were stolen with keys each day between 2012 and 2014. Thefts were higher at some times of the year than others. The NICB identified ten dates when vehicle thefts with keys were particularly high (162 to 177 per day). All of these dates fell between November 22 and January 1, when the weather was cold.

Where Thefts Occur

Vehicle thefts with keys can happen anywhere. Yet, more thefts occur in some places than in others. The NICB report lists ten states and ten metropolitan areas that had the most vehicle thefts with keys. The top three states were California, Texas and Florida. The top three metropolitan areas were Las Vegas-Henderon-Paradise (NV), Detroit-Warren-Dearborn (MI), and Altanta-SandySprings-Roswell (GA). You can find the full NICB report at the link provided below.

Types of Vehicles

The NICB analyzed vehicle thefts with keys by model year. The analysis showed that for the period 2012-2014 more older vehicles were stolen than newer models. This makes sense since older vehicles (unlike some newer ones) cannot be started without a key.

Protect your Vehicles!

You can protect your vehicles against theft with a key by exercising care and common sense. If you warm up your car on a cold day be sure to lock the doors. Alternatively, you can start your vehicle remotely. Special devices are available for this purpose or you can use a smart phone equipped with remote-starting app.