Gauthier Delomez / Photo credits: Benoit Durand / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP 4:15 p.m., February 14, 2024

Car thefts experienced a resurgence in 2023, with no less than 70,000 reports to insurers over the year. This is more than the pre-Covid level. Although there are tools to protect your vehicle, 100% security is almost impossible, according to a specialist interviewed by Europe 1.

Clio, Megane, 3008... French cars are increasingly in the sights of four-wheel vehicle thieves. According to

Le Parisien

, thefts saw an increase of 11% in 2023, with 70,000 declarations to insurers, which is higher than the pre-Covid level. Enough to alert motorists, obviously attached to their own means of transport, and who are looking for ways to secure it.

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On the market, there are many tools intended to prevent any infraction, such as steering wheel locks, sabots, or other electronic anti-theft devices such as coded immobilizer systems. But for Sébastien Curtelin, marketing and product director of Coyote, a company specializing in driving assistance, all these tools are in reality ineffective in securing your vehicle 100%.

Vehicle thefts initiated by organized networks

“We are dealing with organized sectors which invest in two types of means: electronic theft and physical theft,” he explains to Europe 1. In the first case, “the car is not even damaged "You have your vehicle hacked like a computer. This is the case eight times out of ten," reports the marketing director. It is based on the observations of company employees, who specialize in searching for stolen cars.

In the same way, the physical means used by drivers are hardly more infallible. “Supporting photos, anti-theft devices, like the canes that we put on the steering wheel, are sawn with highly efficient tools, like hacksaws or grinders,” he says. This is why the marketing director recommends to motorists the installation of a geolocation device hidden inside the vehicle, which will help the police, in the event of a mishap, to find the car and return it to its original state. rightful owner.