Laminated Glass for Cars

With more than 1.4 million cars broken into in 2003, the report reveals a startling deficiency in the design of the UK car population. While cars themselves are now harder to steal than ever before, the Which? report has again demonstrated that people’s personal possessions within the car are still sitting targets for willing opportunists. The report clearly criticises car manufacturers and insurers for not insisting on the mandatory introduction of one of the best ways to reduce crime of this nature – laminated glass.

The average score for resisting theft of belongings in 1998 was less than three out of ten and latest figures show that this has only improved by less than a point. And, in the year to July 2003, while the number of thefts from vehicles fell by just 4%, the number of vehicles stolen fell by 12%.

Yet, Which? tests showed that it takes a thief around five times as long to break through laminated glass as it does to get through standard glass. Add to that the amount of effort and noise required to break the glass, and any would be thief would be deterred before the damage is done. The only cars offering laminated glass as standard are the Audi A8, the VW Phaeton and Lexus LS430 (which achieved respectively places 1, 2 and 3 in the luxury car category in the British Insurance Car Security Awards held last month).

The Lexus LS430 scored an impressive eight in the theft from Which? tests compared to Fiat and Suzuki who consistently scored as low as one or two.

Northamptonshire’s Police car security expert Mike Franklin believes that more car manufacturers should be building the security into the car and not simply offering it as an accessory – so often the case with laminated glass.

The truth however is simple. Consumers tend not to claim for car window breakages and loss of belongings as this is likely to affect their no claims bonus. The knock on effect of the problem is just not felt by insurers so they have no desire to change the status quo. If the insurers are not demanding change, the manufacturers won’t offer it. After all, they only feel obliged to meet insurers’ standards.

Worryingly some car manufacturers have alarming attitudes towards the issue of laminated glass. Daewoo called it a ‘white elephant’ – and ‘that’s nonsense’ according to Which? Thankfully Honda has a more enlightened approach realising the security, acoustic and temperature control benefits of laminated glass and seriously considering it for their fleet.

Karl Schlicht, Director, Lexus GB commented; ‘Lexus is no stranger when it comes to winning security awards. The LS430 has already been awarded the security accolade by What Car? for three consecutive years. Laminated glass plays a big part in providing superb security along with enhancing the in-car refinement adding noise reduction’.