Location of Arson Offences: Vehicles

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Vehicle Fires

Malicious car fires cost the insurers around £77 million per year and result in around 20 deaths and a further 80 injuries.

The trends in car fires are very different for malicious and accidental causes. The number of accidental car fires has been declining whilst the number of deliberate vehicle fires has more than trebled in the past decade and they now account for over half of the 100,000 plus arson fires that fire brigades attend each year.

Malicious car fires increased very rapidly in the early 1990s – in 1989 just over one-third of all car fires were malicious whereas the almost three-quarters of all car fires were malicious in 1999. Latest figures show that in 1999, a total of 56,500 malicious car fires were recorded, 32% more than in 1998 (an increase of 13,800 fires).

The graph below shows the trends in accidental and deliberate car fires for the period 1989-1999.

Malicious and Accidental Car Fires (1), 1989-99

The table below shows the number of reported vehicle thefts and malicious fires in all road vehicles in England and Wales for the period……

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What is still unclear, however, is whether the fires are started by those who stole the vehicle in the first place in order to cover the traces of some other crime, or for some other reason (i.e. fraud), or whether the vehicle had been abandoned and then subjected to an act of vandalism by a third party. Correlation between vehicle fires and thefts means that success in achieving goals on reducing crime will have corresponding benefits in reducing vehicle fires. It is hoped that work by the Arson Control Forum will establish the relationship between car thefts and subsequent car fires in order to inform policy making and initiatives to combat arson.

Click here for more information on vehicle crime (link to vehicle crime tool kit)

Types of vehicle at risk

In 1999, road vehicle fires totaled 90,300, of which 78,000 (86%) were in cars, 5,900 (7%) were in vans and 2,400 (3%) were in lorries. The total number of fires recorded in road vehicles increased by 19% compared to 1998 (increase of 14,300 fires) – this was mainly due to a rise in car fires which represents the largest increase in at least 10 years.

In general, older cars are more likely to be involved in a malicious fire. Home Office statistics show that the number of malicious fires per 1,000 cars licensed increases from 0.1 for cars manufactured in 1999 to 5.9 for cars manufactured in 1981 or earlier. For accidental fires, the risk increases from 0.1 per 1,000 cars to 3.9 per 1,000 cars.

The table below illustrates the number of accidental and malicious car fires by year of manufacture

1 The year of manufacture is approximate, as in some instances it is based on the registration number.
2 Figures are based on sample data weighted to brigade totals. They include 'late' call and heat and smoke damage only incidents. 
3 Source for data for cars in use: Great Britain data supplied by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

The data shows that a high proportion of malicious car fires involved cars manufactured in the 1980’s. This may be due to the fact that later models have improved security measures and that cars manufactured during the 1990’s are more likely to be sold if it is stolen, rather than being set on fire. Older cars are also more likely to be involved in fraudulent insurance claims.

Where do malicious car fires occur?

Research by the Arson Prevention Bureau revealed that nearly 37% of all cars involved in malicious fires were located off the road in places such as verges, rough ground and bridleways when the fire brigade arrived. This compared to just over 3% of accidental car fires. In contrast, two thirds of cars involved in accidental fires were located on roads when the fire brigade arrived, compared to only 35% of cars involving malicious fires. These figures indicate that malicious fires are much more likely to occur in secluded places than accidental fires. It is almost certainly the case that many of these cars were stolen and then dumped in such places before being set on fire.

Where in vehicles do fires start?

There are substantial differences between accidental and malicious car fires in the part of the vehicle where a fire started. For accidental fires, three-quarters of fires in 1999 started in the engine compartment, with a further 18% in the driver/passenger compartment. By contrast, 85% of malicious fires start in the driver/passenger compartment.

The timing of malicious car fires

Information is available on the time of the first call to the fire brigade for each malicious car fire. The time that fire brigades are called to road vehicle fires varies according the motive. The number of fires per hour for malicious fires is greatest late in the evening or in the early hours of the morning, with a peak between 10 and 11 p.m. The number of accidental fires is more evenly spread throughout the day, with most fires occurring between 4 and 7 p.m.

In terms of days of the week and months, research by the Arson Prevention Bureau suggests that more malicious car fires occur at the weekend than on any other day of the week; no particular month appears to be significant.

Regional data

In 1996, there were on average 173 arson attacks per 100,000 cars in the UK. Northern Ireland and Wales had the highest rates with 237 and 235 fires respectively. Scotland had the lowest rate with 142 fires per 100,000.

The metropolitan counties tended to have the highest incidence of malicious car fires. Tyne and Wear having the highest rate at 544 per 100,000, and Greater London have the lowest at 99 per 100,000. The metropolitan areas also have the highest rates of vehicle theft.