Top Vehicle Theft Trends in the U.S. (INFOGRAPHIC)
- March 15, 2017
- Will Modelevsky
Recently, LoJack released the “Top Stolen Vehicle Theft Trends” infographic, which highlights the most recent auto theft data from the FBI and the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).
The graphic compares the top 20 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA’s) for total auto theft according to the 2015 FBI Uniform Crime Report and the top 10 MSA’s for auto theft rate from the NICB Hot Spots Report, revealing a few interesting trends.
Auto Theft is on the Rise
By many key measurements, auto theft rose nationwide last year. The number of motor vehicle thefts topped 707,000 – a 3% bump from the previous year. That’s equivalent nearly 2,000 vehicles stolen each day, or a vehicle being stolen every 44 seconds. Furthermore, the average loss per stolen vehicle is over $7,000, which was almost a $650 dollar increase over the previous year.
A ‘Local’ Problem
Heavily populated areas like Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago and Atlanta all rank in the top 20 for total auto theft. A different picture emerges, however, when you look at auto theft rate, which factors in the relative population size. This list includes smaller cities such as Merced, CA and Pueblo, CO, suggesting that auto thieves aren’t solely targeting large cities; they are also focusing on smaller, less populated areas.
Fortunately, with the help of LoJack, law enforcement officials in cities of all sizes across the country are working to protect vehicle owners from loss due to auto theft.
LoJack also recently released its 8th Annual Vehicle Theft Recovery Report, detailing its 2016 recovery data. You can find the analysis and download the infographic here.
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Note: FBI data is from the 2015 FBI Uniform Crime Report; total auto thefts are ranked according to Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) data is from the NICB 2015 Hot Spots Report; vehicle theft rates are per 100,000 people.