Almost three quarters of motorists in the UK would think twice about buying a car with keyless technology amid security concerns about the vehicles' vulnerability to thieves, new research has shown.
According to Tracker, the stolen vehicle recovery company, of the 500 British motorists it surveyed 70 per cent are worried about how the safety of keyless technology. It follows a spate of incidents in which hackers have been able to gain access to the digital codes used by keyless fobs to enter and then drive away in cars.
Needless to say, car dealers must be just as cautious as their customers when it comes to ensuring their vehicles are not stolen. And just as motorists would have a commercial car insurance policy, a motor trade insurance policy is designed to provide insurance cover to a dealer's cars that are stored at a set business premises so that their value can be recuperated should they be stolen.
The research from Tracker revealed that motorists are still using traditional methods to protect their cars from the unwanted attention of thieves. Andy Barrs, police liaison officer at Tracker, said common techniques used include steering wheel locks (30 per cent) and a clutch pedal lock (22 per cent).
Another method that has been developed to boost the safety of keyless cars is connection protection devices. These are essentially steel boxes which cover the on-board diagnostics port to prevent diagnostics access.
