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Statistics On Car Theft — The Worst States & Worst Cities For Stolen Vehicles

Let’s begin with some general car theft statistics to make everyone sweat.
Did you know…

  • A car is stolen every 43 seconds.
  • Car theft costs Americans a total of $4.3 billion each year.
  • Near 3/4 of a million cars are stolen every year.

Are you trying hard to remember if you locked your car or not? Go check, we will still be here when you come back.

The Top Cities For Car Theft

Take a sigh of relief east coast. Finally, the south doesn’t ranking highly for a negative statistic! The south may have a hold on obesity and poor education, but they certainly are not as badly ranked as California with regard to amount of car theft, holding 7 of the top 10 highest ranked cities.
Most cities that are ranked highly are thought to hold their positions because of access to shipping means and ability to conveniently move the vehicles across the Mexican border.
Worst Cities For Car Theft

  1. Fresno, California
  2. Modesto, California
  3. Bakersfield-Delano, California
  4. Spokane, Washington
  5. Vallejo-Fairfield, California
  6. Sacramento, California
  7. Stockton, California
  8. Visalia-Porterville, California
  9. San Francisco-Oakland, California
  10. Yakima, Washington

Everything changes when we look at states.
 

The Top States For Car Theft

The states listed are spread all across the country and we struggle to find a common link between the states and reasoning for the specific crime activity.
The study suggested the city’s car-buying habits and most commonly stolen cars were directly linked when studying the top states of vehicle theft. Examples of city car-buyer habits would include Detroit and Chicago cars stolen are typically American vehicles; pickups are popular in Albuquerque, Phoenix and Houston; and Japanese models lead the most commonly stolen list in Los Angeles.
Worst States For Car Theft

  1. California
  2. Texas
  3. Florida
  4. Georgia
  5. Illinois
  6. Michigan
  7. Washington
  8. Arizona
  9. Ohio
  10. New York

To share another interesting bit of knowledge, Vermont was ranked the state with least amount of car theft.

Good Tips To Protect Yourself From Car Theft

The most common mistakes leading to car theft are very easy to correct and just take the willingness to adopt some new habits. Our Georgia insurance company recommendations to protect yourself:

Shop For Car Theft Prevention Tools

Deter thieves from wanting to steal your car in the first place. Or at least have a quick way to track it down. Install a steering wheel lock like The Club or a GPS tracking device to quickly locate your vehicle if it does go missing.

  • Be aware of times of highest risk — Fortunately our readers already know the two months with greatest amount of car theft.
  • Do not reveal any signs of valuables in your car. — Keep all the following items out of sight — purses, GPS (Even the sticky residue left on the glass from a GPS can create suspicion it maybe in a glove box), and all other valuables in your car.
  • Park in well lit areas — Making it has hard as possible for car thieves by parking in areas of high traffic and that are well lit greatly prevent your risk of having your car stolen.

Southern States Insurance believes it is in your benefit to never preload your GPS with your home address, or at least to not label it “Home”. This gives the car theft direct access to your address and likely your garage door frequency and possibly house keys on your key rings. The simple effort of disguising your home with another name could prevent further loss.
Vehicle theft is down more than 3% in 2011 from the year before. Together we can continue to lower the amount of theft by adopting these habits and understanding what and where makes you most at risk to experience car theft.

Does Your Insurance Cover You Against Car Theft?

Your car insurance covers theft if you have comprehensive auto coverage. If you are not sure if you have the needed car insurance coverage, any of our insurance agents will gladly help you understand your policy and answer any of your questions. Our independent insurance agents can help you be sure you understand your coverage and provide professional insurance advice.
Contact Southern States Insurance for a free quote on your car insurance policy and discuss if your current auto insurance policy provides protection against theft or other risks you face.
The information comes from two sources — the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) and the LoJack Corporation.