Across the United States, vehicle theft totals are approaching near record highs and new analysis by the National Insurance Crime Bureau indicates these trends show no signs of slowing down.
Vehicle theft data, provided by the National Crime Information Center and analyzed by NICB, indicates over 745,000 vehicles have been stolen in the first three quarters of 2022, with over 250,000 having been reported to law enforcement since the end of June. This is a 24% increase compared to this same time period in 2019. If this trend continues, totals could exceed one million stolen vehicles nationally by the end of the year and surpass pre-pandemic highs by more than 100,000 stolen vehicles.
“The year may be coming to an end, but criminals are not going on winter break,” said David Glawe, president and CEO of the National Insurance Crime Bureau. “Even as temperatures drop, vehicle owners everywhere need to know that the criminals are still on the hunt.”
Vehicle thefts in the U.S. are the highest they have been since 2008.
According to previous analysis by the NICB, vehicle thefts tend to increase in the last three months of the year. If history repeats itself once again, the U.S. will see thefts trending around yearly highs through the end of the year.
Tips for preventing vehicle theft:
- Lock your doors.
- Remove your keys from the vehicle.
- Don't leave a spare key anywhere on or inside the vehicle.
- Close your windows completely.
- Park in well-lit areas.
- Install an audible alarm system.
- Install a vehicle immobilizer.
- Install a vehicle tracking system.
Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help you with all your automotive needs.
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