Top 10 Stolen Cars Last Year
When you purchase a car, whether or not it is a favorite for car thieves to steal is probably not one of the issues you consider, but maybe it should be. Cars that get stolen more often will carry a higher insurance premium than cars that don't.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau’s (NICB) companion study to its annual Hot Spots auto theft report called "Hot Wheels," examines data reported to the National Crime Information Center to determine the vehicle make, model, and model year most reported stolen in 2004. The following cars were the top ten most stolen vehicles in the United States:
1) 1995 Honda Civic
2) 1989 Toyota Camry
3) 1991 Honda Accord
4) 1994 Dodge Caravan
5) 1994 Chevrolet Full Size C/K 1500 Pickup
6) 1997 Ford F150 Series
7) 2003 Dodge Ram Pickup
8) 1990 Acura Integra
9) 1988 Toyota Pickup
10) 1991 Nissan Sentra
In 2004, 1,237,114 motor vehicles were reported stolen - a decrease of 23,357 vehicles from 2003. Overall in the United States, motor vehicle theft was down by 1.9 percent.
The FBI Uniform Crime Report divides the nation into four regions. In the Northeast, with 18.6 percent of the nation’s population, auto theft was down 9.7 percent from 2003. In the Midwest, with 22.4 percent of the population, auto theft was down 4.4 percent. The South with 36.1 percent of the population showed a decrease in vehicle theft of 2.9 percent. Meanwhile, the West, with 23.0 percent of the population, was the only region that posted an increase—36.2 percent—over its 2003 number.
NICB encourages everyone to follow its “layered approach” to auto theft protection by employing simple, low-cost suggestions to make their vehicles less attractive to thieves. These include:
Common Sense: The cheapest form of defense is to simply employ the anti-theft devices that are standard on all vehicles: locks. Lock your car and take your keys.
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: “Kill” switches, fuel cut-offs, and smart keys are among the devices which are high and low tech, but extremely effective. Generally speaking, if your car won’t start, it won’t get stolen.
Tracking Device: On the higher end of high tech are the newer devices which can alert you—and law enforcement—the moment an unauthorized user moves your vehicle.
|
