Australia’s peak body on vehicle theft reduction says an increase in the number of car immobilisers, a shift in youth culture and increased awareness has led to a reduction in vehicle-related crimes.

The rate of vehicle thefts has reduced from 4.5% per 1000 registrations to 2.4% in the past five years.

National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council Executive Director Ray Carroll told insuranceNEWS.com.au figures have been dropping consistently since 2001.

The council’s latest report shows thieves are giving owners a break, with an 11% reduction in thefts of passenger and light commercial vehicles.

“We are seeing a change in youth culture – kids would rather play car theft games on their computers than do it in real life,” Mr Carroll said.

These latest figures shows opportunistic crime is at an all-time low in Australia with a total of 35,257 vehicle thefts in the past 12 months.

WA and SA led the nation’s downward trend, with 30% and 23% decreases respectively.

Victoria and NSW also showed a marked improvement, each recording an 8% reduction, while Queensland had a 6% drop.

But it’s been a different story for Tasmania, where thefts last year rose by 204.

Mr Carroll says 67% of cars are now fitted with immobilisers.

“But even with this added protection, three out of 10 vehicles can still be stolen by a 13-year-old with a screwdriver,” he said.

Mr Carroll says police targeting of recidivist offenders is another reason for the drop in vehicle thefts, and there is also increased public awareness on the need to keep cars locked.

“We found many would leave their keys in the car because they didn’t think anyone would steal an old car, but with public awareness we have fewer people leaving their keys in their cars,” Mr Carroll said.