subject: Motorbike Theft And The Preventative Measures You Can Take [print this page] Irrelevant of which town or city you are in around the world, it is highly likely that you will see at least a handful of motorbikes on the roads. Becoming increasingly popular as a primary form of transport, motorbike usage accounts for around a third of motorised transport (in respect of motorbike and cars combined), with over 200 million motorbikes currently in use around the world.
Due to the increased popularity with this mode of transport, the number of thefts have also increased in recent years and a report published at the turn of the millennium by the Home Office said that out of the 850,000 motorbikes that were legally registered in the United Kingdom, 12,000 of them had been stolen in the previous 12 month period. Whilst this may not seem a considerably high figure when comparing it to the actual number of motorbikes that were registered, it actually equates to approximately 25 thefts for every 1,000 motorbikes.
Furthermore, this figure of one theft for every 25 motorbikes is unfortunately only an average and it increased in certain parts of the country, most notably the City of London and the greater Metropolitan area where for every 1,000 motorbikes registered, 79 and 50 were being stolen respectively.
Whilst this information is worrying enough for motorbike owners itself, it is not helped when the follow up report was produced showing the same figures for 2003, which saw an average of 37 motorbikes being stolen per 1,000 that were legally registered.
These figures are alarming by anyones standards and make it clear that a valid motorbike insurance policy that covers thefts of all kind is imperative to ensuring that the owner is fully covered in all eventualities.
In this day and age, with increased safety for all vehicles and with so many publicity campaigns informing riders of the dangers of theft, it is surprising that so many thefts are continuing to take place. Although a motorbike insurance policy will help should the vehicle actually be stolen, there are several preventative measures that can be taken to ensure that the vehicle is not stolen in the first place, removing the need to make a claim with the insurer.
For instance, the most recent report by the Home Office (published in 2005) stated that the motorbikes that were at most risk of being stolen were those that had a small engine size (generally less than 125cc) and were relatively new (less than five years old). As this is apparent, should you not be able to securely lock a vehicle in a property when it is not in use or you feel it is highly at risk of being stolen, it is advised to choose a motorbike that is at least over five years old and has a medium engine size (between 250cc and 550cc). Although these motorbikes will still be at risk of being stolen, the previous statistics have shown that they are not as likely to be a subject of theft as their smaller and younger counterparts.
There are dozens of different ways to ensure that a motorbike does not get stolen, such as by installing a fully approved immobiliser and alarm (which in turn can help reduce motorbike insurance premiums by up to ten percent). However, the best way to reduce the likelihood of any theft taking place is to simply be sensible and vigilant, as by being aware of your surroundings and taking as much care and attention as possible to motorbike safety, it can be ensured that the risk of a theft taking place is greatly reduced.
