Did you know that approximately every 28 seconds another car falls prey to auto thieves? Auto theft isn't something most of us spend an undue amount of time thinking about, both because we as a society don't usually consider it to be a huge threat (especially if you happen to live in a rural area) and because we know that our auto insurance will reimburse us for the loss-won't it? If you're not sure, it's time to find out. Here's what every driver needs to know about auto theft, auto insurance and their car.



The statistics for auto theft are frightening. Studies show that California is way out front in the auto theft game, with Texas coming in a distant second. Every day drivers walk out of their homes, their jobs, local shopping centers, friends' homes and commercial establishments of all sorts to find nothing but broken glass and a small puddle of anti-freeze where their car used to be. Even though auto theft has decreased dramatically in recent years, it's still a very real threat for drivers from coast to coast.

Most drivers are able to confidently park their cars, lock the doors and walk away knowing that even if their car happens to be stolen their auto insurance company is going to reimburse them for their loses. They're absolutely right. Auto insurance companies across the countries consider auto theft to be something that drivers cannot prevent and therefore provided for under their comprehensive coverage. If your car happens to be liberated from the tyranny of ownership while you're out running errands you may still consider having that heart attack, but you can relax knowing you're not going to be losing everything.

Of course, just because your auto insurance will cover your losses doesn't mean you want to volunteer for them! When it comes to auto theft the best defense is a good offense. Did you know that many Americans don't even bother to lock their cars when they walk away from them, even if they're going to be gone for hours at a time? And many will make a "quick" run into a public gas station or rest room, or into someone's home, and leave their keys sitting on the front seat-a blazing invitation for would-be thieves to come take advantage of.

You might be surprised to find out how many cars each year are stolen while the keys are in the ignition, the car is running and the owners are standing less than twenty feet away. Think about it for a minute. If you were a thief and you were looking for a car to steal, would you pick the one you had to hot wire (hoping nobody bothered to wonder why you were crawling around under the steering wheel after having to jimmy the locks) or would you pick the one that was sitting there purring, almost as if it was waiting for you?

Finally, let's talk about what insurance companies love to see-and what's going to send your auto insurance rates plummeting while saving your car from new ownership. When you purchased your auto insurance policy in the first place you probably filled out a form detailing all of your car's safety features. Those safety features, among other things, should have included things like car alarms, fuel switches and GPS location systems, all of which will help prevent your car from being a victim of auto theft in the first place and will go a long way toward making sure if it is stolen that you get it back fast.

Auto theft isn't pleasant, and it's not something any of us want to spend too much time dwelling on when we're out on the roads; however, it's good to know that with the right safety precautions you can dramatically decrease the chance that your car will be stolen in the first place-and that if it is your auto insurance company is going to be standing behind you every step of the way.