(Bloomberg) -- All those sophisticated theft-prevention devices won’t save your car if you leave the keys inside, a lesson that more Americans are learning the hard way.
U.S. car thefts with keys left inside jumped 14% from 2012 to 2014, reaching 44,828 last year, according to a study issued Monday by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. The actual number is probably higher because some people don’t admit their carelessness to police or their insurer, the NICB said.
“Stealing a vehicle is very difficult with today’s anti- theft technology and leaving the keys in the vehicle is an open invitation for the opportunistic car thief,” NICB Chief Executive Officer Joe Wehrle said in a statement.
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