History of a car’s insurance claims

Do you own a Hyundai Tiburon FX? Well, keep an eye on it. Turns out that the Tiburon FX (which, if you let your imagination run a bit, looks like a chubby little shark, but that’s another story) is the most frequently stolen car amongst all vehicles manufactured in 1998 and 1999.

The point is that there is, indeed, a dedicated Canadian source providing a lot of what you’re looking for. It’s called the Vehicle Information Centre of Canada. Founded in 1989 by Canada’s automobile insurance industry, the VICC’s mandate is to analyze insurance costs and follow various trends associated with vehicle ownership. The organization is credited with continuously expanding into new areas of interest to vehicle owners, and the insurance industry as well, no doubt.

The VICC provides a wide range of products and services to its member insurers, who collectively represent over 99 % of all auto insurance written in Canada. But consumers don’t need to be a member in order to scour their site for a wealth of information on everything from theft deterrence to claims histories, and links to related organizations.

In particular, check out the VI Library section, and choose How Cars Measure Up. Here you’ll be able to peruse a wealth of statistics on the collision, theft and benefits costs associated with virtually any vehicle you might drive, or be thinking of driving.

If point and click is not your style, you can reach them at 240 Duncan Mill Road, Suite 700, Don Mills, Ontario, M3B 1Z4 , or call (416) 445-1883 or fax them at (416) 445-2183. Many of the reports and data available at the site are also available by mail.

Want to know whether your car made the Top 10 list ? Just go to www.vicc.com, click on What’s New, and browse the Breaking News section. Oh, Integra owners. You can relax. Your car slipped to second spot on the theft list.