Car Thieves Start the New Year with a Bang

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A Vehicle is Stolen Every 33 Seconds

DES PLAINES, Ill., Dec 16, 2009 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ – New Year's Day was the leading holiday for reported vehicle thefts in 2008 according to an analysis issued today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). Among holidays, your vehicle was safest on New Year's Eve and Christmas Day.

Nationally, vehicle thefts have been on a steady decline for several years in a row, to less than one million a year in 2008. But the thieves are still busy, stealing an average of 2,650 vehicles every day in the U.S., or one every 33 seconds.

"We know that thieves never miss an opportunity to make a quick buck by stealing a car," said Joe Wehrle, president and CEO of NICB. "They work weekends, nights and holidays and ironically, they are particularly busy on New Year's Day and Labor Day."

The holidays ranked by number of thefts reported to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) in 2008 were:

  • New Year's Day..........3,017
  • Labor Day..................2,847
  • Halloween..................2,727
  • President's Day..........2,683
  • Memorial Day.............2,599
  • Independence Day......2,584
  • Valentine's Day..........2,389
  • Christmas Eve............1,841
  • Thanksgiving..............1,806
  • Christmas Day...........1,267
  • New Year's Eve............916

The NICB reminds drivers to be vigilant during the busy holiday shopping season. That includes parking in well-lit areas, keeping packages in the trunk or out of sight, and making sure your vehicle is locked and the alarm turned on while it's parked.

About the National Insurance Crime Bureau: headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through information analysis, investigations, training, legislative advocacy and public awareness.

The NICB is supported by more than 1,000 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote nearly $343 billion in insurance premiums in 2008, or more than 82 percent of the nation's property/casualty insurance. To learn more visit www.nicb.org.

SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau

https://www.nicb.org/
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*A.M. Best

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