Thatcham Research Centre’s world renowned expertise in vehicle security standards is being called upon once again, as Russian insurers look to address unacceptable levels of vehicle theft. Having made significant progress in addressing similar vehicle theft levels in the UK in the early 1990s, Thatcham is seen as the ideal organisation to drive the link between Russian insurers’ requirements for increased vehicle security and the commitment of vehicle manufacturers to providing improved and effective security solutions. The Russian insurers’ engagement with Thatcham follows a visit in June of this year, when experts from Thatcham’s Vehicle Security Team headed to Russia to evaluate security levels on 11 of Russia’s most stolen and most popular cars. Overall, the results revealed a wide variance of effective security compared to those in the UK. Particular areas for concern for Thatcham specialists were a lack of deadlocks on all but one of the Russian vehicles tested – usually standard fit in the UK, alarms with no interior sensors and therefore not reaching Thatcham standards and insufficient security protocols for four of Russia’s most stolen vehicles. It is now hoped that these findings will provide the impetus to bring higher standards of safety and security to Russian motorists. Speaking at the Moscow Motorshow, Peter Roberts, Chief Executive at Thatcham, applauded the vision of Russian insurers in looking to address the issues, “Thatcham have been setting standards in the UK automotive industry for 40 years and it is certainly a privilege to be asked to bring our expertise to bear inRussia. In our experience, by acknowledging the issues with vehicle security and committing to finding solutions, insurers will quickly bring widespread benefits in reducing vehicle crime and insurance claims and will start to provide reliable information for consumers to make the right vehicle choice”. Vladimir Kryuchkov, Project Leader at major Russian insurer Ingosstrakh, and Secretary General of the Professional Association for Vehicle Theft Reduction, said, “We are keen to work with Thatcham because we recognise the need for clear rules governing the relationship between insurers and car manufacturers in the growing market, which is Russia today. Practically all global car manufacturers are now successfully producing and selling vehicles in Russia. The key question for manufacturers and insurers is to find the balance in the cost of ownership for the customers. The experience and knowledge of Thatcham will be instrumental in helping us to set standards and for risk management in the Russian market”.