There was a small article in the May 3 2008 Straits Times about an IT consultant who lost her car having parked it four days ago. Ordinary enough an article, but it came with it a few statistics.
“Accord to the police there were 63 cases of car thefts last year and 72 in 2006. This compares with 818 cases of motorcycle thefts last year and 647 in 2006.”
If you had told me that one car was stolen every 10 days in Singapore, I would not have believed it. I think Singaporeans are so sold on the low crime image that we forget sometimes. Yes, I am quite sure its a really commendable statistics compared to other cities, but its still noteworthy.
Compare that with 2 motorcycles stolen a day, car drivers can be quite relaxed about not buying their Third Party, Fire and Theft insurance. Motorcycle owners tend not to buy TPFT because the premiums are quite ridiculous and they come with many clauses that are stacked against the owners.
Motorcycles are a lot easier to steal than cars for a variety of reasons, starting from the fact that a couple of guys can carry a motorcycle up a lorry if they so pleased. Forgetting your keys in the ignition of a motorcycle is also more obvious than for a car. Drivers must have forgotten to lock their cars occasionally and have seldom been punished for their carelessness. It is also much easier to hide a motorcycle than a car.
I also found a Ministry of Home Affairs speech by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs Mr. Wong Kan Seng dated 21 April 2008.
“Over the last 5 years, an average of 590 cases of bicycle theft were reported each year, with a peak of 790 cases in 2005 and a low of 580 cases last year. For the first two months this year, there were about 80 cases of bicycle theft reported, which is the lowest number when compared to the corresponding periods from 2005 to 2007. Bicycle thefts have been on a downward trend since 2005.”
The numbers are suprisingly similar (to me, anyway) to that for motorcycles. Considering that there is, in theory, more theft deterrence in a motorcycle. I guess the relative different values play a big part.
This is relevant to me because I am thinking of getting a motorcycle, and if I get a new one, I would prefer to get a TPFT insurance for it, at least for the first few years. Combining that with a higher premium for being a new rider, might make the insurance prohibitive. So I might opt for an older used bike for the first year.
The statistics on the numeber of bikes should be higher as a large number of them go unreported unlike cars and motorbikes where we need to report for purpose of not really recovering but Traffic fines, use of vehicle in drug realted or robbery with a vehicle and also de-roading a vehicle that is no longer existant and maybe get a rebate from the insurance and stop paying future Road Taxes.. Bicycles on the other hand cost about $150 on the average bicycle that is locked up in the carpark. Now to go to a Police Station and file a report and get intimidated by a Blue Uniform and the likelihood of ever recovering your wheels are real. So I would multiply that statistics by 10 for bicycles.