California Auto Insurance Theft Reporting
If you live in the state of California you are more likely to have your car stolen than any other state in the country. Partly due to the close proximity to the Mexican border, Californians should be alert and take preventive measures to avoid being a statistic. If your car is stolen you will of course need to report it to the police and then to your California auto insurance company.
Due to the high rate of auto thefts in the state, California Auto Insurance policies should almost always include auto theft insurance. Although not required by law, auto theft insurance can be included in your comprehensive auto coverage. Coverage generally includes theft of the vehicle and its parts. Some policies will also include miscellaneous articles that were in your vehicle when it was stolen.
There are a variety of steps you can take to help protect your car from auto theft. Let’s take a look at what they are in hopes of avoiding having to report a theft to your California car insurance company.
- Always take your keys with you when you leave your car. Believe it or not this accounts for 20% of auto thefts.
- Always lock your doors when leaving your car. This is such a simple thing to do, yet over half of all thefts occur when the owner of the vehicle did not have the doors locked.
- Never hide an extra set of keys in your car. It can be very easy for a thief to discover your second set and be off with your car in no time.
- Always park in lighted areas and when possible park in attended lots.
- Always turn your car off even when you will be out of it for just a minute. Cars are most frequently stolen at ATM’s, gas stations, convenience stores, etc.
- Always close your windows.
- Take valuables with you when you leave the car or at the very least make sure they are out of sight.
- When parking ensure your vehicle is hard to toe. Turn your wheels towards the curb or to the side in driveways and parking lots.
- Park inside your garage if you have one.
- Install a car alarm or anti theft device.
- Tint your windows making it difficult for a thief to look in your car.
Even when taking all of the above precautions, there are times a theft is just not avoidable. If you do find your car stolen you will need to report it to your California Auto Insurance Company after you have reported it to the police. When you call the police make sure you know your year, make, model and car color. They will also ask you for your vin#, license plate #, and any unique features your car may have. After the police have taken your report be sure to get a police case #. You will now report the theft to your auto insurance agency.
When you call your California auto insurance Company for theft reporting be sure to have your policy # and police case # ready. To the best of your knowledge, you will need to explain to your agent what happened. You will also want to give them a list of any items that were in your car when it was stolen. Go over coverage and the steps in processing your claim. If you have rental car coverage make sure you find out how to go about renting the car and getting reimbursement. More often than not it will be several weeks before you are able to settle the theft with your insurance company.
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