Nearly half of all car thefts and break-ins occur in the owners’ driveways, garages or streets, an online survey by RACQ Insurance has found.

Improvements in vehicle security features mean thieves now target car keys instead, RACQ EM Insurance Communications Mike Sopinski said.

“Keys have been frequently stolen during home break-ins, either as an opportunistic ‘find’ or as a deliberate theft target, thereby enabling vehicle theft too,” he said.

But 42% of Queensland motorists don’t secure their car keys while at home.

The online survey, held this month, questioned 1007 licensed motorists, “controlled for age, gender and location” to match the demographics of the Queensland population.

Home driveways were the most common location for car thefts (22%) and break-ins (33%).