Did you know that a car theft occurs every 45.7 seconds in the US? And according to the FBI, around 689,000 motor vehicles were stolen in 2014. Unfortunately, 45% of stolen vehicles are never recovered. Below are four types of cars that thieves look for when deciding which ones to steal.
- Older Cars
You would think that between an expensive Corvette and a 1996 Honda Accord, the thief would go after the Corvette. In fact, thieves typically go after older cars because they can be hotwired and broken into more easily. Here is a list of the top 10 most stolen vehicles in 2014 according to the NICB:
- Honda Accord (51,290)
- Honda Civic (43,936)
- Ford Pickup (Full Size) (28,680)
- Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size) (23,196)
- Toyota Camry (14,605)
- Dodge Pickup (Full Size) (11,075)
- Dodge Caravan (10,483)
- Nissan Altima (9,109)
- Acura Integra (6,902)
- Nissan Maxima (6,586)
2. Idling Cars
In Confessions of a Car Thief, an ex-thief admits to scouting for cars to steal by waiting in neighborhoods or gas stations for car drivers who leave their cars idling by itself. If the moment is opportune, a car thief will not hesitate to get into an unmanned car and drive off.
- Tricked Out Cars
Car thieves more often steal cars for their car parts. Visually prominent items such as portable GPS, body kits, stereo systems, and rims are not the only parts at risk. Catalytic converters are made up of special metals that make it valuable, going for $1k-$2k a piece. Car thieves will try to move cars to more remote places or empty garages where they can strip these parts.
- Unlocked Cars
Unlocked cars make the easiest of targets for thieves. In one case, 5 car thieves were able to steal items from 200 cars in a community and drive off with 15, all of them unlocked.
Even if you do take all preventative measures to stop your car from being stolen, you sometimes can’t control what happens. If your car is stolen, it can be a nightmare to deal with. While many protection options are available, new technology such as the GPS-based Kahu car tracking system lets you use real-time GPS location tracking to find your car from right from your smartphone. In the event that your car is stolen, Kahu will even work with law enforcement to find your car.
Go here for more information on Kahu.
Sources:
http://www.iii.org/issue-update/auto-theft
http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/midwest/2015/06/18/264018.htm