Long before gas prices climbed into $3 territory, stealing the stuff has been going on. With older cars, the process was fairly straightforward: drop one end of a hose into the “donor” gas tank, siphon until the unmistakable taste of gasoline hits the tongue, drop the other end into the...Read More»
Worried about car theft? Well, we have good news and bad news. The bad news is that auto theft continues to be a major problem. According to the most recent FBI data, 737,142 vehicles were stolen in 2010, with losses totaling $4.5 billion. Also bad: criminals are smart, and they're getting smarter...Read More»
The holidays, as we all know, are for sharing. But what we might not have picked up from all those Christmas specials on TV is that the holidays are also for stealing -- specifically, stealing cars. And yet, the National Insurance Crime Bureau says it's true. The NICB ranked 11 U.S. holidays...Read More»
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released new data on U.S. car theft, and the statistics aren't especially surprising. According to the report, more Toyota Camrys were stolen than any other vehicle in America, but performance models like the Audi S8 actually had the highest...Read More»
The Cadillac Escalade is perhaps a little too successful in its mission of flaunting wealth. Cadillac's big SUV is a magnet for thieves; it has ten times the overall theft losses of the typical 2008 to 2010 model-year vehicle, and it's more than six times as likely to be targeted by thieves. These...Read More»
The future ain't what it used to be -- and neither is car theft. In fact, vehicle theft has been on the decline for the past seven years, and in 2010 it hit rates that haven't been seen since Lyndon Johnson was in office. (Translation: a long time.) The news comes from the National Insurance Crime...Read More»
You may find this obvious, but many people don’t: summer means more people spending time outdoors, and more people often translates into more crime. Temperatures aren’t the only thing rising in summer, since car related burglary and vandalism rates also go up during summer months (even...Read More»
Despite a rise in demand and prices for used cars, rates for vehicle theft fell in 2010. That's according to new numbers released this morning from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in a preliminary version of its Annual Uniform Crime Report, covering 2010. Motor-vehicle theft was...Read More»
Gas prices are rising, and we're all already feeling it at the pump. Political instability abroad and economic instability at home seem to be conspiring to suck our wallets dry as fast as our gas tanks. But now some enterprising thieves are hurrying the process along, drilling into the tanks of...Read More»
When we were kids, there were lots of things we weren't allowed to do: ride our bikes on the highway, play with guns, eat dessert before dinner. And, of course, steal cars. For today's rugrats, though, it's a whole new world. A couple of weeks ago, the esteemed Tom Jennings and Jason Torchinsky...Read More»
All is quiet on New Year's Day, as the U2 song begins. And perhaps that's one of the reasons why more thieves steal vehicles—and steal from them—on New Year's Day than on other major holidays. In both 2008 and 2009, New Year's Day had far more than the daily average of reported auto...Read More»
Don't ever think that what you're driving is too plain or unattractive to be the target of thieves. Its ubiquity might actually make it a more likely target. That's one of the lessons in looking at the annual list of most-stolen models from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). Older Honda...Read More»
Annual crime figures were released this week by the U.S. FBI, and on the vehicle front there's some good news: For one, vehicle theft is way down. It's apparent that all the anti-theft measures—like alarms, immobilizers, and more sophisticated ignition locks—introduced by automakers...Read More»
The National Insurance Crime Bureau says that once every 20 seconds in the United States a vehicle is stolen — and that theft from vehicles occurs far more often than that. While conventional alarms, steering wheel locks, ignition cutoffs, vehicle tracking systems, and other anti-theft...Read More»
For most of us, the lines, the crowds, and the oppressive waits in a visit to the local DMV office are aspects of being a driver we grudgingly accept. Once every year or two (or several years, if we're lucky or deal only with dealerships), we head there to renew our license, take a test, or fill...Read More»
Smashed windshields, staged accidents, and suspicious fender-benders and vehicle fires might remain relatively common tactics for deceiving insurance companies—and might be more rampant in a down economy—but insurers are definitely catching on. Last week, the National Insurance Crime Bureau...Read More»
If you plan to purchase a Cadillac Escalade, Ford F-250 Crew Cab, Infiniti G37, or Dodge Charger Hemi, you might want to check in with your insurance agent first. Why? Because these vehicles have the highest theft rates (from inside, or of the vehicle itself) of any models one to three years old...Read More»
Sunburns, fireworks injuries, or overindulgences: If you’re not mindful, they’re all examples of how your long holiday weekend could end on a painful, rather than relaxed, note. So is coming back to find a vehicle missing or broken into. Over the long holiday weekend, neighborhoods are likely...Read More»
Although U.S. vehicle thefts are continuing their downward trend, a number of cities in the Southwest remain hot spots. For the sixth consecutive year, U.S. vehicle theft rates declined in 2009, confirmed the National Insurance Crime Bureau. According to the annual NICB Hot Spots report, released...Read More»
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