Posts Tagged ‘car theft’
Holiday season presents big risks for motorists.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Dec.19, 2012
Happy New Year?
The holidays may be a time to spread joy, but be careful you don’t let a car thief sour your good cheer.
A new study ranks the final week of the year as one of the riskiest when it comes to getting your car stolen – though the good news is that even the bad guys seem to take a break on Christmas day.
Among 11 major holidays (okay, an even dozen if you include Groundhog Day), the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICD) reveals Christmas landed last in terms of the total number of vehicles stolen in the U.S. in 2011, at 1,347. In fact, Christmas had the lowest rate of car theft of any day in 2011, holiday or not. Groundhog Day, at 1,491, was second-lowest.
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Apparently, all those tricksters were helping themselves to some expensive treats on Halloween, which ranked number one on the list with 2,328 vehicles stolen.
Close behind, however, was New Year’s Day, at 2,286, followed by Memorial Day, at 2,005, and Labor Day, at 1,977.
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Tags: NICD, auto news, auto theft, car news, car theft, car thieves, holiday car theft, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, stolen cars, thedetroitbureau
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Top 10 list evenly divided between U.S., Asian makers.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Aug.21, 2012
Yet again, the 1994 Honda Accord tops the list of most-stolen vehicles, according to a new study.
This is one list you’d probably prefer not to see your car wind up on, but if you own a 1994 Honda Accord it is the vehicle thieves are most likely to target, according to a new study released by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
The good news is that car theft, in general, has been declining in recent years – though there are some nagging hot spots, especially along the West Coast. But the NICB’s annual Hot Wheels study shows that thieves are particular about what they go after, whether there’s strong demand for a particular model or they’re just easier to get away with.
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Honda, it turns out, has the two most frequently stolen models, both the ’94 Accord and the ’98 Civic. The full list follows. It reveals that Japanese makers built half of the Top 10 models, Detroit the other five. The list also is fairly evenly split between passenger cars, such as the Accord, and light trucks, including the 2006 Ford F-Series pickup and 2000 Dodge Caravan minivan.
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Tags: accord stolen, auto news, auto theft, car news, car theft, civic stolen, honda news, hot wheels list, most stolen cars, nicb, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, stolen cars, thedetroitbureau, vehicle theft
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But problem remains serious in parts of the West.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jun.19, 2012
Car theft fall sharply in 2011 - though there remain major "hot spots" along the West Coast.
Despite high-profile cases, like the recent carjacking of Detroit pastor and gospel icon Marvin Winans, a nationwide crackdown on car theft is generating clear and positive results.
Two new reports suggest that auto theft rates fell once again in 2011, though there are some nagging hot spots that seem to be resisting the crackdown, especially along the West Coast.
Meanwhile, a recent study suggests that certain vehicles remain fair game for thieves, including the Chevrolet Corvette. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, more than one in 10 Vettes has been heisted over the past 30 years.
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The NICB, an insurance industry trade group, says the general trend is downward, with the majority of major metropolitan areas having seen a decline in overall car theft during 2011. Some communities, like Laredo, Texas, have seen significant declines.
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Tags: auto news, auto theft, car news, car theft, car thefts decline, corvette theft, fbi car theft, nicb car theft, onstar, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, vehicle theft
Posted in Automobiles | 2 Comments »
HiGear let wannabes drive the cars of their dreams.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jan.05, 2012
A Tesla listed for rent on the HiGear website.
The idea seemed to have enormous potential: give automotive wannabes the opportunity to drive the cars of their dreams. Unfortunately for San Francisco-based start-up HiGear, the company also gave a bunch of car thieves to steal the cars of their dreams.
The company offered a distinctive twist on the growing car-sharing phenomenon. While most of the other players in the emerging field, such as ZipCar, focus on basic transportation, HiGear went to the other extreme, lining up luxury and exotic models from the likes of Aston Martin, BMW, Bentley and even a Tesla.
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After going through a seemingly careful sign-up process members of the service would pay anywhere from $125 to $600 – with the average being $410 a day, according to company officials – plus insurance. The vehicles they would rent were actually owned by individuals, including co-founder Murtaza Hussein’s BMW Z4, rather than company-owned.
Unfortunately for HiGear, a sophisticated car theft ring figured out how to game the system, using stolen identities and credit cards to line up rentals and then make off with four cars the company says were worth $400,000.
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Tags: auto news, car news, car rentals, car sharing, car sharing theft, car theft, car theft rings, higear, luxury car rentals, luxury car sharing, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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Overall auto theft rate continues to dip.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.08, 2011
Percentage wise, the most stolen car of 2009, the Audi S8.
You have your choice of good news or bad. When it comes to stolen cars, the good news is that the auto theft rate continues to decline, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The bad news? That might depend on what you own, especially if you park an Audi, Ford or BMW model in your driveway.
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The top of the list is the Audi S8 which had a theft rate, according to NHTSA, of 8.81 per thousand in 2009 – the latest year for which data is available. But the fed report is based on percentages, not raw numbers. Audi only sold 227 of the S8s in the U.S. that year, and a grand total of 2 were stolen.
Using more conventional math reveals an entirely different picture, however, with more mainstream models like the Toyota Corolla, at the top of the list.
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Tags: Audi S8, auto news, car news, car theft, car thieves, mustang shelby gt, nhtsa theft, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, stolen cars, thedetroitbureau, vehicle theft
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With more tech onboard are cars becoming easy prey?
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Aug.09, 2011
Hackers break into a Subaru Outback using nothing but a smartphone.
Today’s cars are loaded with digital technology, from the engine controllers that maximize mileage while reducing emissions, to their increasingly popular multi-function infotainment systems. But have these silicon-based devices also made our cars increasingly vulnerable to high-tech thieves?
That’s the chilling message delivered by two researchers who appeared at the Black Hat Conference, an annual gathering of hackers and security pros in Las Vegas, this last week. Using nothing but an Android smartphone and some creative programming, they were able to not only unlock a Subaru Outback but start up its engine.
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“I could care less if I could unlock a car door. It’s cool. It’s sexy,” Don Bailey, a senior security consultant with iSEC Partners and one of the pros who hacked the car, told CNN. “But the same system is used to control phone, power, traffic systems. I think that’s the real threat.”
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Tags: auto news, black hat conference, car news, car theft, car thieves, hackers cars, hackers subaru, high-tech cars, onstar, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, stolen cars, thedetroitbureau, vehicle immobilizers
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But Detroit models gain popularity with thieves.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Aug.03, 2011
The 1994 Honda Accord was the vehicle most often targeted by car thieves last year.
Honda and Toyota products topped the latest list of the cars most frequently targeted by thieves – but Detroit models are becoming increasingly popular, as well, according to a report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
On the positive side, preliminary FBI data show that car theft is continuing to decline, with the numbers down about 7.2% last year which, if the statistics hold up, would make it the lowest figure since 1967, according to the NICB.
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The 1994 Honda Accord topped the “Hot Wheels” list prepared annually by the Crime Bureau – its third year in a row at the top — followed by the 1995 Honda Civic. Rounding out the top three was the 1991 Toyota Camry. But there was only one other import among the Top Ten, the 1994 Acura Integra, which was eighth. Domestic-made products, including the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado and 2002 Ford Explorer, made up the rest of the list. It was the first time since 2002 that more Detroit models made the list than import brands.
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Tags: 1994 honda accord, auto news, car news, car theft, car thieves, honda news, national insurance crime bureau, nicb, nicb car theft, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, stolen cars, thedetroitbureau, vehicle immobilizers
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Crackdowns work as theft rate falls over 7% in 2010.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jun.22, 2011
Car theft fall sharply in 2010 - though there are major "hot spots in California, experts warn.
Maybe it’s the video game craze? You’re certainly less likely to get busted for stealing a car in Grand Theft Auto. A nationwide crackdown is getting at least some of the credit for what appeared to be a 7.2% decline in car thefts last year. The preliminary number, if it holds, would mark the seventh annual decline in a row and mark the lowest level of car thefts since 1967.
The West Coast remains a hotbed for car thieves, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which found that the Los Angeles suburb of Fresno saw the relatively rare increase in car thefts in 2010, which launched it from fifth to first among the urban regions NICB tracks.
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Other Left Coast hot spots included Sacramento, Spokane and San Francisco – Oakland, the insurance trade group reported. California had eight of the Top 10 areas for car theft in 2010.
At the same time, Los Angeles was one of the many cities to report a decline in car thefts, along with the New York region, Dallas, Detroit and Miami.
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Tags: auto news, california car theft, car news, car theft, car thefts fall, lojack, nicb car theft, onstar theft, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, stolen cars, stolen vehicle recovery systems, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 6 Comments »
Stay away from Dallas and Las Vegas.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Feb.17, 2011
Most of the worst neighborhoods for car theft are out West, with Dallas and Las Vegas among the worst.
Sure, folks are used to losing their shirts along the Strip, in Las Vegas. But that’s what you risk when you walk into a casino. But you’re also risking your car, it seems.
The neon-hued city has one of the worst neighborhoods in country when it comes to car thefts, reports the website NeighborhoodScout, using insurance industry data. To be more precise, the most serious problem is located in the Lubertha Johnson Park neighborhood of Las Vegas, where the car theft rate is running 164.76 vehicles per 1,000 – or nearly one in six.
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That compares with a U.S. average of just three per 1,000, which still ends up costing an estimated $5.2 billion a year in owner losses and the checks insurance companies have to write.
As bad as it sounds, however, Las Vegas doesn’t even have the worst neighborhood when it comes to car theft. That dubious honor goes to the West Commerce Street community in Dallas, where nearly one in four cars are stolen, 223.77 per 1,000, to be precise.
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Tags: auto news, auto theft, car news, car robbery, car theft, car thieves, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, stolen cars, stolen vehicles, thedetroitbureau, vehicle robbery, worst neighborhoods for car theft
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Will it rebound during recession?
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Oct.19, 2009
It's fun to steal cars in Grand Theft Auto. In the real world, thefts have dropped by half since 1991.
Grand Theft Auto may be one of the most popular video games, but it seems like the real crooks are going into another line of business. New data show that car thefts continue to tumble – in part due to improved security systems on new vehicles – and have hit a 20-year low.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that just 956,846 motor vehicles were stolen in the U.S. last year. While that may sound like a lot, that figure compares with the record 1.66 million vehicles stolen in 1991. And that doesn’t fully reveal the dramatic decline. There are more people in the U.S. and significantly more cars, trucks and crossovers on the road now, so the 2008 data equal 315 cars for every 100,000 people, down from 659 per 100,000 in 1991.
Experts debate the reasons behind the reduction in car theft. Some point to new technology, such as ignition immobilizers, which prevent an engine from starting unless you use the correct, digitally-encoded key. There are several different systems now available to motorists and authorities which help track stolen vehicles, including a new service recently launched by the General Motors subsidiary OnStar.
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Meanwhile, there have been a number of federal, state and local programs created to both prevent car thefts or at least catch the perpetrators, including HEAT, short for Help Eliminate Auto Thefts. And in many jurisdictions, the courts have become tougher on thieves who, in decades past, may have been able to avoid jail time.
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Tags: auto news, auto theft, automotive news, car news, car theft, car thieves, chop shops, grand theft auto, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, stolen cars, stolen vehicles, thedetroitbureau
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