Caravan owners could reduce the risk of theft with a few easy-to-do security measures before the Bank Holiday, says a leading motoring insurance comparison firm.
Quotezone.co.uk’s latest figures show many caravanners are failing to take simple precautions, with only 16% of caravans having trackers installed.
The financial comparison site, which works with leading caravan insurance specialists, says that the figures are better for alarms, but over half, 52.6%, of caravan owners have still not installed one.
The research, which covers nearly 35,000 caravan premiums, reveals that many caravanners attach a lot of value to their holiday getaways – with cover averaging £12,390 for the caravan itself and an additional £1,170 for contents.
When it comes to storage, it’s a different story, owners put safety first with 33.9% choosing the most secure option, parked on a private driveway. Specialist storage came in at 24.3% and caravan parks 18.2%. Only 0.7% park on the road which is generally viewed as a risky option that often increases premium prices.
Quotezone.co.uk advises simple precautions don’t need to cost lots of money and could save a lot of heartache as well as potentially bringing down premiums. Alarms and trackers start from as little as £200, for instance. The following free or inexpensive measures can help keep your caravan safe throughout the year:
- A VIN CHIP scanner – available for less than £50 – can help to identify and recover stolen caravans as well as reveal the history of any caravan you might be interested in buying
- Register your chipped caravan with CRiS – if it is stolen and then stopped by the police they will be able to return your caravan quickly
- Ensure that your caravan’s doors, windows and roof windows are closed and locked when you go out
- Never store valuables, especially not in view, in your caravan
- CCTV cameras and good lighting at registered sites or at home, if stored there, can deter thieves
- Likewise, quality wheel clamps and locks will make thieves think twice
- Ask your insurer for preferred sites for keeping your caravan in a storage site and do some research on the sites you’re considering
- Trackers, alarms and immobilisers are within most budgets and as well as deterring thefts and recovering caravans can also help to lower insurance prices.
Greg Wilson, Founder of Quotezone.co.uk, comments: “The recent post-lockdown spike in staycations has led to a caravan boom like we’ve never witnessed before. Sadly, it’s likely that this increase in holidaymakers will make for increased opportunities for thieves so it’s best to be prepared – especially if this surge in numbers is driven by first-time caravanners who may be unaware of the dangers and the subsequent safety procedures.
“With the last big summer Bank Holiday weekend upon us, caravan owners should make even small security changes that could make a big difference to safeguarding their ‘home from home’.
“If these staycationers do install a tracker, alarm or can find a safer place to store the caravan, they need to make sure they keep the insurer up to date – it could bring down the premium and keep the policy accurate, should they need to make a claim. A small investment in security now could pay for itself in premium savings as well as deterring opportunistic thieves.”
Quotezone.co.uk is one of the UK’s leading insurance comparison platforms, and helps around 3 million users a year, find a more competitive deal on a wide range of insurance products, including caravan insurance, touring caravan insurance and motorhome insurance.