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Automobile theft elevated dramatically in america throughout the first three months of 2022. Based on the non-profit Nationwide Insurance coverage Crime Bureau (NICB), a analysis group funded by the insurance coverage business, almost 1 / 4 million car thefts had been reported from January to March of 2022. That compares to 2021 when 936,315 People had their vehicles stolen.
Automobile theft had declined for 2 years earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic hit. However one thing in regards to the downturn within the financial fortunes of many People and a discount within the complete miles we drive precipitated that development to reverse.
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The Risk Isn’t the Same Everywhere
The rise in vehicle theft isn’t universal, the NICB reports. Some areas saw a dramatic spike. Washington, D.C., residents saw their risk rise 40% in just one year. Colorado saw a similar rise, nearly 36%.
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Bakersfield, California, has had the very best auto theft fee within the nation for the final two years. However there’s little sample to the numbers. The 5 areas with the very best theft charges characterize each coasts and several other states in between and embrace closely city and principally rural states.
Thieves Use Tech to Target Vehicles
Some thieves use technology, from stealing key fob signals to using tile tracking devices.
They will scan a targeted home for key fob signals, and using a device, thieves can hack a signal and transmit it to another person by the car. Depending on the strength, the criminals can break into or even steal the vehicle.
They’re also using tracking devices like Apple AirTags. Law enforcement authorities say thieves started using tracking devices placed around the car, such as behind a license plate of a targeted vehicle. However, some vehicle owners also keep tracking devices in their cars so if stolen, they can locate them.
If you find yourself in the situation of a stolen vehicle with a tracking device, always call authorities and alert them first before trying to track it down by yourself.
States With the Highest Auto Theft Rates
According to the NICB, between 2016 and 2020, these states had the highest auto theft rate per 100,000 residents (the NICB treats Washington, D.C., as a state for statistical purposes):
- Washington, D.C.
- Colorado
- California
- Missouri
- New Mexico
States With the Lowest Auto Theft Rates
The NICB treats Puerto Rico as a state for statistical purposes.
- Massachusetts
- Puerto Rico
- Vermont
- New Hampshire
- Maine
The Most Commonly Stolen Cars
The list of commonly stolen cars mirrors the list of best-selling vehicles most years. That is true as a result of they’re simply obtainable, and their elements are price extra since they’re in excessive demand. See the ten mostly stolen vehicles in 2021 (the latest 12 months for NICB statistics) under.
| Rank | Car Make & Mannequin | Thefts | Most Frequent Mannequin 12 months Stolen |
| 1 | Chevy Full Size Pick-up | 48,206 | 2004 |
| 2 | Ford Full Size Pick-up | 47,999 | 2006 |
| 3 | Honda Civic | 31,673 | 2000 |
| 4 | Honda Accord | 30,274 | 1997 |
| 5 | Toyota Camry | 17,270 | 2007 |
| 6 | GMC Full Size Pick-up | 15,599 | 2005 |
| 7 | Nissan Altima | 14,108 | 2020 |
| 8 | Honda CR-V | 13,308 | 2000 |
| 9 | Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee | 13,210 | 2018 |
| 10 | Toyota Corolla | 12,927 | 2020 |
Supply: NICB
A Growing Problem: Catalytic Converter Theft
In addition to vehicle theft, the NICB says thieves began targeting expensive catalytic converters within the final a number of years. Theft of those units skyrocketed with a 1,215% improve since 2019.
A catalytic converter is a tool in regards to the dimension of a loaf of bread (larger on autos geared up with bigger engines) in your automotive’s exhaust system. It’s situated forward of the muffler, usually close to the middle of the car, and simply accessible from beneath.
The catalytic converter helps filter dangerous pollution out of your automotive’s exhaust. It sends scorching exhaust gasses by means of a honeycomb of uncommon metals, like rhodium and palladium, that act as sponges, absorbing dangerous chemical compounds.
It’s these uncommon metals that created a catalytic converter crime wave. Their costs have spiked just lately, making a comparatively new converter price 1000’s of {dollars}.
Thieves can take away them in minutes by sliding beneath the automotive and sawing them out of the exhaust system with an influence noticed.
Tips to Keep Your Car Safe
Keeping your car relatively safe from thieves isn’t complicated or expensive.
Thieves target the cars that leave them least at risk. So, a few common-sense steps can make them likely to bypass your vehicle and look for an easier mark.
PRO TIP 1: Avoid “puffing” or keeping your vehicle switched on while you run an errand. Warming and leaving a car unattended in some states and municipalities is illegal. Many owners also leave the key fobs inside, making the vehicles an easy target for thieves. See more protection tips below.
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Based on the NICB, remote starters permit automotive house owners to start out the engine whereas maintaining the car locked up, with out the presence of a key or fob.
Strive these 4 layers of safety from the NICB:
- Frequent Sense. Lock your doorways, shut your home windows, don’t go away the keys within the automotive, and park in a well-lit space. Memphis, Tennessee police just lately warned residents that thieves can use smartphone cameras to see what’s inside tinted windows. Leaving valuables in plain sight in your car is an invite to theft.
- Warning Machine. Use an audible alarm to scare away thieves and visual theft deterrents, like a steering wheel lock.
- Immobilizing Machine. Use a wise key or one other wi-fi ignition authenticator “which prevents thieves from bypassing your ignition and hot-wiring the car.”
- Monitoring Machine. Put money into a telematics service or different monitoring machine in order that, if thieves steal your automotive, police can shortly find it.
Defending your catalytic converter entails the identical steps as defending your automotive.
Consultants say parking inside is the most effective protection if you happen to’re anxious about thieves stealing your new automotive’s catalytic converter. The place that’s not an possibility, park in well-lit areas and contemplate putting in a safety digital camera. A number of corporations make guards you possibly can set up, designed to make eradicating the converter take too lengthy to be price a thief’s time. However we’ve seen no research that study whether or not the guards deter thieves.
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