A Quarter Of Women Drivers Are Afraid Of Being 'Carjacked'

A quarter of women drivers (25%) are afraid of being carjacked according to research published today by Direct Line. In addition half (49%) of all women admit they lock their car doors for added security when driving through town. This figure rises to 64%when they are driving at night.

Dominic Burch, road safety campaign manager at Direct Line said:

"Carjacking is still relatively rare, however, it is becoming more and more prevalent because cars are now harder to steal without the keys. The advice to drivers is lock your car doors for added security when driving through town. If you are bumped from behind and you are in any doubt, drive to the nearest police station before getting out of the car."

London is one of the country's worst affected areas in terms of drivers' perception 21% of drivers in the Capital say they are afraid of being carjacked, with a further 46% admitting that they normally lock the doors when driving through town for added protection. In contrast drivers in Scotland are the least concerned, with only 8% threatened by would-be carjackers.

-ends-

Technical details

Based on the survey conducted by MORI Financial Services on behalf of Direct Line in 1-25 November 2001 of 2,003 interviews among adults aged 17 and over, who are Driving Licence holders and who have driven at least once in the last month. Further regional data available on request.