Information You May Need When Reporting A Stolen Car

If your car is stolen, there will be several people you need to inform of the theft as soon as possible. These include the police, your insurance company, and the tracking company, among other parties. They will need as much information as possible about the car and its theft.

The Car's Description

A thorough description of the car is necessary not only for its recovery, but also to confirm that you have actually lost a car. You will need to provide the make, model, and year of the car. You will also need to provide its color, license plate number, vehicle identification number (VIN), plus any other outstanding feature that would help to identify it from similar cars. For example, if there is paint damage on the driver's door that you haven't repaired, don't fail to mention the fact.

Tracking Information

You should also tell your insurer whether your vehicle is equipped with a tracker, and provide the details of the tracking system. Vehicle recovery systems are effective in tracking and getting back stolen cars. The recovery rates of stolen cars with trackers can be as high as 90%.

Information on the Crime Scene

If your car is stolen, a full description of the crime scene will help in its recovery. For example, if it was stolen from a parking lot, you need to describe how you found your parking space on coming back for your car and not finding it there. Were there skid marks on the scene? That may indicate the driver sped off in a hurry. Did you see broken glass? That may indicate how the driver entered your car. In short, any detail you can provide will help.

Items in the Car

Apart from helping to recover your car, the insurance company will also be interested in knowing the value of your claim should the recovery efforts fail. Note that the value of the claim will include the value of the car plus any personal effects that may have been in the car when it was stolen. Therefore, you will need to provide a list and description of all items that you had left in the car.

This is one of the reasons everybody should know their vehicle identification number (VIN), or have it in an easily accessible place. The more information you provide, the easier it will be to track and possibly recover the car. For more information, contact a professional in your area like those found at Horgan Insurance Agency.


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