Honda Civic Most Stolen Car in the United States

A recent companion study conducted by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reveals that the 1995 Honda Civic is the most stolen car for 2006, rising from its no. 2 spot in 2005. The companion study dubbed, "Hot Wheels" is gathered from data reported to the National Crime Information Center.

The nine other most stolen vehicle models are: 1991 Honda Accord, 1989 Toyota Camry, 1997 Ford F-150 Series Pickup, 2005 Dodge Ram Pickup, 1994 Chevrolet C/K 1500 Pickup, 1994 Nissan Sentra, 1994 Dodge Caravan, 1994 Saturn SL, and 1990 Acura Integra.

NICB's companion study also reveals that there was a drop in vehicles being stolen. Compared to the 2005 data, the 1,192,809 vehicles stolen in 2006 are 42,417 fewer than in 2005. NICB valued these stolen vehicles at over $7.9 billion, using the FBI's average valuation of $6,649 per stolen vehicle.

Even though the number of stolen vehicles went down, the total recovered vehicles were among the lowest in over a decade with only 59% of the stolen vehicles regained. According to the NICB study, the 700,000 vehicles that were unaccounted for were either exported, chopped, or the subject of false insurance claims.

Exporting stolen vehicles is one of the contributors to the thousands of stolen vehicles that were never recovered. Stolen vehicles are usually exported intact either through shipping containers or being driven across the border where buyers can get them for a fraction of the market value of the vehicles.

Chop shops are probably the largest contributor to the unaccounted stolen vehicles. The stolen vehicles are usually disassembled and the different parts sold to various dealers and suppliers. A stolen vehicle usually goes to the chop shop when the vehicle's parts are worth more than the entire vehicle intact.

Stolen vehicles are sometimes not really stolen. According to NICB, a number of stolen vehicles are actually false theft reports so owners can claim the insurance on their cars. NICB dubs this situation as "owner give-ups". Owner give-ups are usually caused by economic factors such as the debt on the vehicle being more than the vehicle's worth, or when a car is leased and the usage already exceeded the terms of the lease.

To prevent car theft, NCIB suggest using their "layered approach" in car theft prevention. NCIB's "layered approach" involves simple car theft prevention tips such as locking your doors, taking your keys, employing warning and immobilizing devices, and tracking devices.

SOURCE:

National Insurance Crime Bureau, "Hot Wheels: Vehicle Theft in Third Year of Decline". PRnewswire.com