Auto Theft Rises for First Time in 10 Years- Most Stolen Car Lists
NICB Releases Nation's Most Commonly Stolen VehiclesARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 11 -- After a ten-year decline in auto theft rates, newly released statistics indicate auto theft is on the rise in the United States. The rates are included in an annual study released today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) of the nation's most commonly stolen vehicles.
Recent statistics released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Uniform Crime Report show auto theft rates increased 1.2 percent from 1999 to 2000. There were 1,165,559 auto thefts in 2000, compared to 1,152,057 in 1999. The NICB uses data from the FBI report to compile its annual study of theft rates and most commonly stolen vehicles.
``The troubling 2000 statistics indicate we need to commit more resources to address this problem and help prevent this increase from becoming a trend,'' stated Robert M. Bryant, NICB president and chief executive officer.
Bryant suggested a variety of contributory factors behind the rise, including a sinking U.S. economy that spurs more thieves to steal vehicles for financial gain, the reassignment of many law enforcement officers from auto theft task forces, and open international borders that are difficult to monitor for stolen vehicles.
Toyota Camry Tops List of Most Commonly Stolen Vehicles
Today's NICB report also identifies the ten most commonly stolen vehicles
in the United States in 2000:
1. Toyota Camry
2. Honda Accord
3. Oldsmobile Cutlass
4. Honda Civic
5. Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
6. Chevrolet full size C/K pick-up
7. Toyota Corolla
8. Chevrolet Caprice
9. Ford Taurus
10. Ford F150 pick-up
``The study confirms that thieves target a wide range of popular passenger vehicle models,'' said Bryant. ``Thieves typically choose these vehicles because of their huge profit potential when the cars are stripped down to their components, which then supply a vast black market for stolen parts. Further, these vehicles are popular in other countries and organized theft rings will illegally export them to foreign destinations.''
He also pointed out there are city-by-city differences in consumer vehicle preference that affect which vehicles are targeted by thieves in an individual metropolitan area.
For example, the NICB study shows American cars are more attractive to thieves in cities such as Chicago, while pickups are more frequently stolen in Dallas. In the Los Angeles area, thieves prefer Japanese models.
Bryant also recommended that people residing in or near port and border communities take special care to protect their vehicles because of the relatively easy access border crossings and ports provide to vehicle thieves.
The NICB suggests consumers play a vital role in stopping auto theft. To help protect their vehicles, the NICB recommends that motorists ALWAYS remove keys from the ignition and vehicle, lock the doors, close the windows, hide valuable items, park in well-lit areas and use a combination of anti-theft devices.
``Motorists driving theft-prone vehicles should consider taking additional prevention steps, such as installing a visible deterrent like a steering wheel lock, an alarm, a starter or fuel disabler, and a tracking device,'' Bryant said. ``Added protection layers make a vehicle harder to steal.''
For more information about the nation's most frequently stolen vehicles and vehicle theft prevention, visit http://www.nicb.org.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is the nation's premier not-for-profit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting insurance fraud and theft for the benefit of its customers and the public through information analysis, forecasting, criminal investigation support, training and public awareness. The NICB is supported by approximately 1,000 property/casualty insurance companies.
Hot Wheels
Most Commonly Stolen Vehicles in 2000
By Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)
Albuquerque, NM
1 Ford F150 Series
2 Chevrolet Full size C/K pick up
3 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
4 Honda Accord
5 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
6 Ford F250 Series
7 GMC Full size C/K pick up
8 Pontiac Grand Am
9 Ford Ranger
10 Ford Heavy Duty
Atlanta, GA
1 Chevrolet Caprice
2 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
3 Honda Accord
4 Chevrolet Full size C/K pick up
5 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
6 Oldsmobile Delta 88/Royale
7 Toyota Camry
8 Cadillac Deville
9 Ford Taurus
10 Ford F150 Series
Baltimore, MD
1 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
2 Honda Accord
3 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
4 Dodge Neon
5 Plymouth Voyager/Grand Voyager
6 Chevrolet Cavalier
7 Ford Taurus
8 Dodge Shadow
9 Toyota Camry
10 Acura Legend
Boston, MA-NH
1 Toyota Camry
2 Honda Accord
3 Honda Civic
4 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
5 Toyota Corolla
6 Acura Integra
7 Ford Taurus
8 Nissan Maxima
9 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
10 Chevrolet Compact SUV (Blazer)
Chicago, IL
1 Toyota Camry
2 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
3 Chevrolet Caprice
4 Oldsmobile Delta 88/Royale
5 Buick Lesabre
6 Chevrolet Cavalier
7 Chevrolet Van
8 Pontiac Grand Am
9 Ford Taurus
10 Chevrolet Compact SUV (Blazer)
Cleveland-Lorain-Elyria, OH
1 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
2 Buick Century
3 Buick Lesabre
4 Oldsmobile Delta 88/Royale
5 Chevrolet Cavalier
6 Chevrolet Compact SUV (Blazer)
7 Pontiac Grand Am
8 Toyota Camry
9 Cadillac Deville
10 Chevrolet Celebrity
Columbus, OH
1 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
2 Chevrolet Cavalier
3 Chevrolet Full size C/K pick up
4 Pontiac Grand Am
5 Chevrolet Compact SUV (Blazer)
6 Ford Taurus
7 Ford F150 Series
8 Honda Accord
9 Ford Escort
10 Ford Ranger
Dallas, TX
1 Chevrolet Full size C/K pick up
2 Honda Accord
3 GMC Full size C/K pick up
4 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
5 Ford F150 Series
6 Chevrolet/GMC Suburban
7 Cadillac Deville
8 Ford Mustang
9 Dodge Neon
10 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
Denver, CO
1 Honda Accord
2 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
3 Honda Civic
4 Dodge Neon
5 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
6 Chevrolet Full size C/K pick up
7 Chevrolet Compact SUV (Blazer)
8 Ford Fl50 Series
9 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
10 Ford Explorer
Detroit, MI
1 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
2 Ford Taurus
3 Pontiac Grand Am
4 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
5 Dodge Neon
6 Chevrolet Caprice
7 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
8 Dodge Intrepid
9 Plymouth Voyager/Grand Voyager
10 Ford Escort
Fresno, CA
1 Chevrolet Full size C/K pick up
2 Honda Accord
3 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
4 Toyota Camry
5 Honda Civic
6 Toyota Pickup
7 Chevrolet Truck
8 Toyota Corolla
9 Chevrolet Camaro
10 GMC Full size C/K pick up
Houston, TX
1 Chevrolet Full size C/K pick up
2 Toyota Camry
3 Honda Accord
4 Chevrolet/GMC Suburban
5 GMC Full size C/K pick up
6 Ford F150 Series
7 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
8 Dodge Neon
9 Honda Civic
10 Oldsmobile Delta 88/Royale
Jersey City, NJ
1 Toyota Camry
2 Honda Accord
3 Honda Civic
4 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
5 Acura Integra
6 Toyota Corolla
7 Acura Legend
8 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
9 Plymouth Voyager/Grand Voyager
10 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA
1 Toyota Camry
2 Honda Accord
3 Honda Civic
4 Toyota Corolla
5 Toyota Pickup
6 Toyota Van
7 Nissan Sentra
8 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
9 Toyota Celica
10 Acura Integra
Memphis, TN-AR-MS
1 Chevrolet Full size C/K pick up
2 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
3 Toyota Camry
4 Oldsmobile Delta 88/Royale
5 Chevrolet Caprice
6 Buick Lesabre
7 Cadillac Deville
8 Buick Century
9 GMC Full size C/K pick up
10 Pontiac Bonneville
Miami, FL
1 Toyota Camry
2 Honda Accord
3 Toyota Corrolla
4 Honda Civic
5 Chevrolet Caprice
6 Nissan Altima
7 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
8 Nissan Maxima
9 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
10 Nissan Sentra
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI
1 Toyota Camry
2 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
3 Honda Civic
4 Honda Accord
5 Chevrolet Compact SUV (Blazer)
6 Buick Lesabre
7 Ford Taurus
8 Oldsmobile Delta 88/Royale
9 Cheverolet Full size C/K pick up
10 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
Nassau-Suffolk, NY
1 Toyota Camry
2 Honda Accord
3 Nissan Maxima
4 Honda Civic
5 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
6 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
7 Nissan Altima
8 Acura Integra
9 Toyota Corolla
10 Ford Taurus
New Orleans, LA
1 Oldsmobile Cutlass/ Supreme/Ciera
2 Toyota Camry
3 Dodge Neon
4 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
5 Chevrolet Full size C/K pick up
6 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
7 Dodge Intrepid
8 Ford Taurus
9 Dodge Ram Pickup
10 Ford F150 Series
New York, NY
1 Toyota Camry
2 Honda Accord
3 Honda Civic
4 Nissan Maxima
5 Toyota Corolla
6 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
7 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
8 Acura Integra
9 Lincoln Town Car
10 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
Oakland, CA
1 Toyota Camry
2 Honda Civic
3 Honda Accord
4 Ford Mustang
5 Toyota Corolla
6 Toyota Pickup
7 Chevrolet Camaro
8 Toyota Van
9 Saturn S1
10 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
Orange County, CA
1 Toyota Camry
2 Honda Accord
3 Honda Civic
4 Toyota Pickup
5 Toyota Corolla
6 Chevrolet Full size C/K pick up
7 Nissan Sentra
8 Toyota Cressida
9 Acura Integra
10 Toyota Van
Philadelphia, PA-NJ
1 Honda Accord
2 Toyota Camry
3 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
4 Nissan Maxima
5 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
6 Ford Taurus
7 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
8 Dodge Neon
9 Plymouth Voyager/Grand Voyager
10 Honda Civic
Phoenix-Mesa, AZ
1 Chevrolet Full size C/K Pick up
2 Honda Accord
3 Honda Civic
4 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
5 Ford F150 Series
6 Dodge Ram Pickup
7 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
8 Saturn S1
9 GMC Full size C/K pick up
10 Dodge Neon
Pittsburgh, PA
1 Chevrolet Cavalier
2 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
3 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
4 Chevrolet Compact SUV (Blazer)
5 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
6 Buick Century
7 Pontiac Grand Am
8 Plymouth Acclaim
9 Dodge Spirit
10 Ford Taurus
Riverside-San Bernardino, CA
1 Toyota Camry
2 Honda Accord
3 Honda Civic
4 Toyota Pickup
5 Nissan Sentra
6 Chevrolet Full size C/K pick up
7 Nissan Standard Body Pickup
8 Toyota Corolla
9 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
10 Ford Ranger
Sacramento, CA
1 Toyota Camry
2 Honda Accord
3 Honda Civic
4 Toyota Pickup
5 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
6 Chevrolet Full size C/K pick up
7 Acura Integra
8 Toyota Corolla
9 Ford Mustang
10 Chevrolet Camaro
St. Louis, MO-IL
1 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
2 Oldsmobile Delta 88/Royale
3 Chevrolet Caprice
4 Buick Lesabre
5 Chevrolet Cavalier
6 Buick Century
7 Pontiac Grand Am
8 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
9 Chevrolet Celebrity
10 Chevrolet Full size C/K pick up
San Diego, CA
1 Toyota Pickup
2 Toyota Camry
3 Honda Accord
4 Honda Civic
5 Nissan Sentra
6 Nissan Standard Body Pickup
7 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
8 Toyota Corolla
9 Ford Explorer
10 Ford Ranger
San Francisco, CA
1 Honda Civic
2 Toyota Camry
3 Honda Accord
4 Toyota Corolla
5 Ford Mustang
6 Acura Integra
7 Toyota Van
8 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
9 Toyota Celica
10 Chevrolet Camaro
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA
1 Honda Accord
2 Honda Civic
3 Toyota Camry
4 Toyota Pickup
5 Acura Integra
6 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
7 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
8 Toyota Corolla
9 Plymouth Voyager/Grand Voyager
10 Ford Heavy Duty
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
1 Toyota Camry
2 Honda Accord
3 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
4 Dodge Neon
5 Toyota Corolla
6 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
7 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
8 Ford Taurus
9 Saturn S1
10 Chevrolet Caprice
11 Plymouth Voyager/Grand Voyager
Tucson, AZ
1 Chevrolet Full size C/K pick up
2 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
3 Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
4 Dodge Ram Pickup
5 Nissan Sentra
6 Ford F150 Series
7 GMC Full size C/K pick up
8 Chevrolet Camaro
9 Pontiac Grand Am
10 Cadillac Deville
Washington, DC-MD-VA-WV
1 Toyota Camry
2 Honda Accord
3 Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
4 Chevrolet Caprice
5 Dodge Neon
6 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
7 Honda Civic
8 Toyota Corolla
9 Plymouth Voyager/Grand Voyager
10 Nissan Maxima
Note - This study is based on 1.17 million motor vehicles reported stolen to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) in 2000 by law enforcement agencies nationwide. The MSAs are established by the US Bureau of Census.