East Sussex now possesses the un-envious title of being the area where people are most likely to claim on their car insurance policies for theft from their cars.
This revelation was revealed following a study based on 10 million car insurance quotes provided over the past 10 years.
The results revealed that over the past 5 years, drivers in the village of Winchelsea are more likely to submit a claim on their car insurance for either theft of the car itself or for items stole from their cars.
Surprisingly, Winchelsea is a small, ancient rural village with a total residency of only 580 people, 50% of whom are retired and 20% are not even full time residents. Saltburn-by-the-Sea and Godstone, both with populations of around 5,900, were the second and third places insurers are most likely to receive claims from for car theft.
With the cost of car insurance premiums reported to have risen by 7.5% in October to an average of £724.28 according to the AA’s British Premium Index, underwriters will undoubtedly be taking note of such a high percentage in the incidence of theft in the area and adjust their insurance premiums accordingly, even for those that have never made a claim.
Data such as this suggests that those residing or frequenting areas where there is a high number of such incidents may do well to consider protecting their no claim bonus, but more particularly ensure they take extra precautions to protect their vehicles and contents by improving security and most of all, ensure they do not leave any valuables in view.