July 2014
Featured in this insight: Automotive, Police, crime & community safety, International
Report shows California is a prime car theft city: Nine of America’s top 10 worst car theft cities belong to California, according to a report released by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).
Bakersfield, which filled top spot, incurred 6,267 car thefts in 2013 alone, which equates to a rate of 725 robberies per 100,000 residents.
Spokane Valley, Washington, was the only city outside of California to feature in the top 10 with a rate of 598 – 3,205 burglaries.
Fresno (707), Modesto (678), San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward (649), Stockton-Lodi (634), Redding (626), Vallejo-Fairfield (598), San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (569) and Yuba City (551) occupied the remaining highest car theft rates.
According to a California Highway Patrol spokesperson, the city’s international border, ocean ports and dense population are what make California a prime car theft location.
Of the 380 U.S. metro areas with populations over 50,000 included in the study, Harrisonburg (Virginia), State College (Pennsylvania) and Midland (Michigan) boasted the lowest car theft rates, with a combined total of just 83 auto robberies in 2013.
Collectively, Honda Accord’s (58,596), Honda Civic’s (47,037) and full size Ford Pickup’s (26,770) were the most preyed upon cars in 2012 – the most recent year for which such data is available.
Full size Chevrolet Pickup’s (23,745), Toyota Camry’s (15,251), Dodge Caravan’s (11,799), full size Dodge Pickup’s (11,755), Acura Integra’s (9,555), Nissan Altima’s (9,169) and Nissan Maxima’s (6,947) also proved popular choices for car thieves.
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