Vehicle Theft Rising in U.S.A [Infographic]
It might be shocking to believe, but car theft is on the rise in America.
In the last decade there has been a steady downward trend of motor vehicle thefts, however, in the last year theft rates have increased 3.1%.
This is a worrying trend, as you can see from the numerous statistics below. However, a GPS vehicle tracking device can help drastically lower your risk to any of these crimes.
There are a wide number of features available.
For your information, here are further statistics on car theft in 2015.
- A vehicle is stolen every 45 seconds in the United States.
- 707,758 cars were stolen in 2015 alone.
- By region, the West accounted for 40% of all car thefts. This was then followed by the South (35.3%), the Midwest (19.7%) and the Northeast (8%).
- The motor vehicle theft rate has increased by 3.1% from 2014.
- Only 13.1% of car thefts were cleared in 2015.
- The top 5 models of car with the highest theft rates are:
| 1 | Honda Accord | 52,244 |
| 2 | Honda Civic | 49,430 |
| 3 | Ford Pickup (Full size) | 29,396 |
| 4 | Chevrolet Pickup (Full size) | 27,771 |
| 5 | Toyota Camry | 15,446 |
The top 5 states with the most car thefts in 2015 are:
| 1 | California | 170,993 |
| 2 | Texas | 67,485 |
| 3 | Florida | 40,661 |
| 4 | Washington | 26,867 |
| 5 | Georgia | 26,482 |
- Vehicle theft is the most costly property crime in the U.S., costing tax payers more than $8.2 billion annually.
- California is home to 7 out of the top 10 cities for vehicle theft in the United States.
- Burglary and Larceny were down 10% and 3% respectively, car theft was up 1%.
- 79% of people always lock their vehicle, and 93% never leave spare keys in their vehicle.
- 33% of people admit they have left their car while it was still running, which makes the vehicle an easy target for theft.
- 47% of people don’t always park in a well lit area.
- 40% don’t hide their valuables. In fact, nearly half leave mail in their car, a quarter have left a purse or wallet, and almost a third have left bank statements, all of which can put them at risk of identity theft.
- Carjackings occur most frequently in urban areas, and account for 3% of all motor vehicle thefts.