Of every 1,000 cars in Britain, 22 are stolen each year, according to insurance-industry reports. The rate is highest in England and Wales, with 23 of every 1,000 cars stolen annually. Scotland and Northern Ireland follow at 15.5 and 14.6 thefts, respectively.

The overall average for Europe is 95 of every 1,000 autos stolen each year. France, with the next-highest rate of thefts at 11.4 cars stolen per 1,000, is still only about half as bad as Britain. Austria had the lowest theft rate, and its 1.4 thefts per 1,000 cars was one sixteenth that of Britain's. (Source: The Daily Mail [London].)