Missouri car theft rate rises; insurance agents offer tips to protect your car

COLUMBIA, Missouri (KMIZ)

Columbia police still have no new information on a series of car break-ins caught on video in north Columbia earlier this month.

CPD spokesperson Brain McNeill told ABC 17 they had no update on an Aug. 13 incident report after video from a Ring camera showed at least three people wearing black hoodies breaking into a car, with one of them guarding the street while the other pointed a gun at a house and the third person smashing the window of a truck. It was one of three attempted break-ins captured on video obtained by ABC 17.

The man who submitted one of the videos – and asked to be identified only as Jared for security reasons – told ABC 17 on Monday that he had not heard from police since the report was made on August 13. At the time, he said police told him they had conducted “at least ten stops.”

According to a 2023 study by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), Missouri had the seventh-highest vehicle theft rate in the country in 2022. In 2023, the Show-Me State also ranked 10th in the country in vehicle theft rate by volume, with 27,279 reported incidents.

“Unfortunately, they have become more common than we would like,” says Phyllis Nichols, an insurance agent with Columbia State Farm Insurance.

Nichols is one of hundreds of insurance agents across the country who must deal with insurance claims related to vehicle break-ins each year. She says that while claims related to car break-ins are not as common as wildlife crashes or hail damage, they are becoming more common. In 2022, over a million vehicles were stolen, the highest number since 2008.

“Planning ahead is key. I mean, it sucks having to have that conversation with customers after the fact to find out what they needed. But the key is to talk to an insurance professional now and just make sure you’re properly protected,” said Britton Steel, director of sales at Evertree Insurance. “A lot of people don’t think that statistic applies to them.”

Both Nichols and Steel advise burglars to file a report with the police. If you file a claim, they also recommend notifying your insurance company as soon as possible and submitting videos or receipts showing what was stolen/damaged to make the process go more smoothly.

While no one can predict a car break-in, Nichols says there are several steps you can take to prevent it, including locking the car, hiding valuables under a blanket, leaving spare keys outside the car, parking in a well-lit area and not leaving the engine running when the car is unattended.

“Don’t leave your car with the engine running. It doesn’t save you much time to turn the engine off and start it again right away. For car thieves, that’s an invitation to think, ‘Hey, there’s a car running right now. Let’s see what’s going on.'”

Nichols also believes heat can play a role in car break-ins.

“I know some people, especially with the heat that’s going to be there this week, want to leave their windows open a little bit. That’s not advisable because professional car thieves can do that. It’s amazing what they can do with just a little bit of space to get into your car that way,” Nichols explained.

Attaching a VIN to certain parts of your car can deter potential thieves.

“If you actually see the VIN etched or on doors or windows or even catalytic converters, that’s a last resort because if they steal your car, they know they have to get that off there before they can resell it.”

Steel says most insurance companies will cover vehicles that are stolen or damaged in a break-in, which is usually covered by a car insurance policy’s comprehensive coverage, but subsequent damage is often subject to other deductibles.

“If the car is stolen, of course you’re going to file a claim, but oftentimes it might just be a glass break, your glass breaks, sometimes you don’t file that claim because it costs less than your deductible,” Steel explained. “Sometimes people don’t file a claim if glass is broken because it costs less than their deductible. The other part of your insurance is, all of your stuff that’s in the car is usually stolen and broken into, so that’s a separate claim. That falls under your renters insurance. Your homeowners insurance is also subject to a deductible. Golf clubs get stolen, stuff like that, that’s self-imposed. So you usually have to pay two deductibles. We really encourage you to just talk to your agent and find out what those deductibles are because by the time it happens, it’s just too late to talk about it.”

Steel added that the neighborhood you live in can also be a factor in how much you pay.

“Technically, insurance companies rate their insurance based on crime rates. So it’s not about rating a specific city. It’s about the crime rate that’s related to where you live,” Steel said. “So the answer is yes. If you live in a higher crime zone, you’ll pay a higher rate than if you live somewhere else.”