Thanks to modern technologies like ignition keys with embedded chips and factory installed security immobilizers, it's getting harder and harder to steal new cars. As a result, the number of cars and trucks stolen in the United States dropped by 13.1 percent in 2008 compared to 2007, a trend that has been continuing for five years. Total thefts for the year could actually end up under 1 million for the first time in 20 years.
Owners of older cars on the other hand aren't so lucky. One of the main driving factors behind car thefts is to strip the vehicles and sell the parts. The main market for those parts is older, high volume vehicles, so the same vehicles are the ones that tend to get stolen. The top ten stolen vehicles for 2008 includes a couple of surprises and a bunch of perennial hits.
[Source: SmartBrief ]
Press release
Hot Wheels: Vehicle Theft Continuing to Decline
DES PLAINES, Ill., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hot Wheels 2009, the National Insurance Crime Bureau's (NICB) companion study to its popular Hot Spots auto theft report, examines data reported to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and determines the vehicle make, model, and model year most reported stolen in 2008. See the full report at www.nicb.org.
For 2008, the most stolen vehicles* in the nation were:
1. 1994 Honda Accord
2. 1995 Honda Civic
3. 1989 Toyota Camry
4. 1997 Ford F-150 Pickup
5. 2004 Dodge Ram Pickup
6. 2000 Dodge Caravan
7. 1996 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
8. 1994 Acura Integra
9. 1999 Ford Taurus
10. 2002 Ford Explorer
Certain models of older cars and trucks are popular with thieves because of the value of their parts. Frequently, the parts can be stripped from a car at a chop shop and sold for at least twice as much as the value of the vehicle on the used car market. Newer models are also more difficult, but not impossible to steal thanks to anti-theft technology incorporated by the manufacturers.
Although the final numbers have not yet been released, the preliminary 2008 FBI Uniform Crime Report (UCR) shows that vehicle theft is on pace to record a decrease of 13.1 percent from 2007 numbers. That would make 2008 the fifth consecutive year of declining vehicle thefts. Moreover, if the preliminary figures hold total thefts for 2008 would be below 1 million vehicles--the lowest annual total in over 20 years.
"This is great news for vehicle owners, law enforcement and the insurance industry," said Joe Wehrle, NICB's president and chief executive officer. "It takes years of sustained effort to deliver the kinds of reductions that we are enjoying today. NICB joins with our member companies in acknowledging the great work performed by law enforcement and our investigators in the fight against vehicle theft.
"Comprehensive legislation, aggressive enforcement and rigorous prosecution are the three essential components to a winning crime control program. NICB is proud to contribute to each of those areas through our national legislative affairs program and our network of experienced investigators," Wehrle said.
NICB provides law enforcement with local resources for identifying and recovering stolen vehicles as well as training and information analysis in the detection and prevention of vehicle theft and insurance crime.
As good as this news is, however, vehicle theft is still a costly drain on our economy and a tremendous hassle for victims. To protect their investment, vehicle owners are urged to follow NICB's "layered approach" to auto theft prevention by employing simple, low-cost suggestions to make their vehicles less attractive to thieves.
NICB's four layers of protection are:
Common Sense: Lock your car and take your keys. It's simple enough but many thefts occur because owners make it easy for thieves to steal their cars.
Warning Device: Having and using a visible or audible warning device is another item that can ensure that your car remains where you left it.
Immobilizing Device: Generally speaking, if your car won't start, it won't get stolen. "Kill" switches, fuel cut-offs and smart keys are among the devices which are extremely effective.
Tracking Device: A tracking device emits a signal to the police or to a monitoring station when the vehicle is stolen. Tracking devices are very effective in helping authorities recover stolen vehicles. Some systems employ "telematics," which combine GPS and wireless technologies to allow remote monitoring of a vehicle. If the vehicle is moved the system will alert the owner and the vehicle can be tracked via computer.
Considering a used vehicle purchase? Don't buy a headache, check in with VINCheck(SM), NICB's free vehicle history service at www.nicb.org.
You can help stop this criminal activity by reporting suspected insurance fraud and vehicle theft to NICB at 1-800-TEL-NICB (1-800-835-6422) or by texting to TIP411 keyword "Fraud." You may also report fraud and theft by visiting our Web site www.nicb.org. All tips can be anonymous.
About the National Insurance Crime Bureau: headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through information analysis, investigations, training, legislative advocacy and public awareness. The NICB is supported by more than 1,000 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote nearly $343 billion in insurance premiums in 2008, or more than 82 percent of the nation's property/casualty insurance. To learn more visit www.nicb.org.
* This report reflects only stolen vehicle data reported to NCIC in 2008. No further filtering of information is conducted, i.e., determining the total number of a particular make and model currently registered in the U.S. for comparison purposes.
SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau
Search
Archives
-
▼
2009
(2516)
-
▼
September
(172)
- 2009 Honda Fit Recieves Consumer Reports' Top Rating
- 2010 Mazda3 MPS and Mazda3 i-stop to be Unveiled i...
- Murilee's Down On The Street Favorites For 2008 [D...
- 2009 Mazda2 Averages 70-hp and 60mpg, Still Has Pe...
- Charles Barkley Nabbed For DUI [Daily DUI]
- The Hot Rod Art Book: Masters Of Chicken Scratch [...
- Full Scale Cars Built Entirely Out Of LEGOs, With ...
- 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Brochure Leaked
- A Bug Up Their Ass About Safety, Volvo Will Have A...
- Ford Makes Parallel Parking Easier for 2010 Lincol...
- Corvette Z06
- Camera-Equipped HUMMER Records Man Vandalizing Veh...
- CES 2009: Navigon takes routing personal
- Rendered Speculation: Honda to create mini-hatch f...
- GM, Ford Fight To Keep Government Bailouts, Say De...
- Mercedes E-Class Coupe Spotted Nearly Nude [2010 M...
- Transformers 2 Chevy Volt Gets A Name: "Jolt" [Tra...
- Nissan GT-R SpecV: Details, live images and video
- 2010 Chevy Camaro LS Shows Off Rallye Style Wheels...
- 2010 Coda EV
- 2009 Chrysler GEM Peapod
- Jeep Wrangler
- Review: 2010 Ford Taurus SEL
- Lamborghini Estoque takin' it to the streets
- Montezemolo reportedly confirms Ferrari 458 Spider
- 3 Series
- 2nd Annual Darlington Historic Racing Festival
- Oh! Brother!
- Review: 2009 Audi Q5 3.2 Quattro
- BMW Lovos concept
- Land Rover confirms two-door LRX for production
- 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
- 2011 Chevrolet Volt
- Ferrari F1
- Weekend Comments Happy Weekend Graphics MySpace Ha...
- KIA RIO
- Old-Fashion Drive-In Movie Theater
- 2009 Ford Focus Coupe
- 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
- 2010 Ford Escape
- Review: 2009 Lotus Exige S 260
- First Drive: BMW 535i Gran Turismo
- Ferrari California the latest object of Hamann's t...
- Porsche Carrera GT tuned by Edo Competition
- 25th Annual Classic on the James
- aston martin DB8 hdr
- JEEP COMMANDER
- Lord Krishna Glitter Graphics Animated Krishna Hin...
- 2009 Citroen GTbyCITROEN Concept
- Honda Legend
- Nissan Frontier 2008
- Frankfurt 2009: Toyota Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept
- Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Opel Astra
- Frankfurt 2009: Kia Venga
- Frankfurt 2009: Mercedes-Benz F-Cell
- Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Audi 3.0 TDI
- Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Citroen C3
- Frankfurt 2009: Kia c'eed
- Frankfurt 2009: Reva NXG
- Frankfurt 2009: Peugeot BB1 Concept
- Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Citroen DS3
- Frankfurt 2009: Mansory Cyrus
- Frankfurt 2009:Mercedes E63 AMG wagon
- Frankfurt 2009: Melkus RS2000
- Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer
- Frankfurt 2009: Peugeot RCZ
- Frankfurt 2009: Mansory Vitesse Rose
- Frankfurt 2009: Brabus E V12 Black Baron
- Frankfurt 2009: Marussia B2 and B1 Hybrid
- Frankfurt 2009: Facelifted 2010 Volvo C30
- Frankfurt 2009: Citroen REVOLTe
- Frankfurt 2009: Hyundai ix-Metro concept
- Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Volkswagen CC R
- Frankfurt 2009: Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde
- Frankfurt 2009: Bentley Continental GTC Series 51
- Frankfurt 2009: Seat IBZ concept
- Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Volvo C70
- Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Volkswagen Phaeton
- Frankfurt 2009: Hyundai Tucson ix35
- Frankfurt 2009: Porsche 911 Sport Classic
- Frankfurt 2009: Fiat Punto Evo
- Mazda zoom zoom
- Frankfurt 2009: Wiesmann MF5 Roadster
- Frankfurt 2009: Porsche Turbo Coupe
- Frankfurt 2009: BMW 7 Series Active Hybrid
- Frankfurt 2009: Mercedes-Benz S500 Vision Plug-in ...
- Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Saab 9-5
- Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RS
- Frankfurt 2009: 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Wagon
- Frankfurt 2009: Porsche confirms development of el...
- Frankfurt 2009: Audi A5 Sportback
- Frankfurt 2009: Lexus LF-Ch Concept
- Frankfurt 2009: Lotus Elise Club Racer and Exige C...
- Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Ford C-Max debuts
- Frankfurt 2009: 2011 Bentley Mulsanne
- Frankfurt 2009: Mazda MX-5 Superlight Concept
- Frankfurt 2009: Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari
- Frankfurt 2009: BMW ActiveHybrid X6
- Frankfurt 2009: Volkswagen Golf R20
- Frankfurt 2009: Lotus Evora Type 124
-
▼
September
(172)