« Back to News Room South Carolinians Need to Protect Vehicles from Theft October 8, 2007 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Russ Dubisky, Executive Director 803-252-3455 or cell phone 803-708-5271 russd@scinsnews.com Nearly $110 Million in Losses from Vehicle Theft Last Year HONDA ACCORD TOPS SOUTH CAROLINA'S LIST OF MOST COMMONLY STOLEN VEHICLES Columbia, S.C. – October 8, 2007– While the number of automobiles reported stolen in the United States have been on the decline for three years, the number of vehicles reported stolen in South Carolina increased again last year. In 2006, 16,402 vehicles were stolen in South Carolina compared with 16,358 in 2005. Nationally, there were 1,192,809 stolen compared with 1,235,226 the year before. Using the FBI’s average valuation of $6,649 per stolen vehicle, this amounts to nearly $110 million in losses in South Carolina and over $7.9 billion in losses in 2006 – just in vehicle value alone. South Carolina car thieves are targeting a wide range of popular passenger vehicles as well as pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). South Carolinians can do their part by protecting their vehicles from being stolen and by reporting suspected fraudulent activity. Allison Dean Love of the South Carolina Insurance News Service said, “Auto theft certainly contributes to what we pay for our auto insurance in South Carolina. Car buyers should consider cars that are safe and not prone to theft. The more we can do to make our vehicles less attractive to thieves and prevent theft, the more we can keep our cost of auto insurance stable.” Hot Wheels, the NICB’s companion study to its annual Hot Spots auto theft report examines data reported to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and determines the vehicle make, model, and model year most reported stolen in 2005. See the full report at www.nicb.org. The NICB said the most stolen vehicles* in the nation in 2006 were: 1 1995 Honda Civic 2 1991 Honda Accord 3 1989 Toyota Camry 4 1997 Ford F150 Series 5 2005 Dodge Ram Pickup 6 1994 Chevrolet Full Size C/K 1500 Pickup 7 1994 Nissan Sentra 8 1994 Dodge Caravan 9 1994 Saturn SL 10 1990 Acura Integra The most stolen vehicles in South Carolina in 2006 were: 1 1995 Honda Accord 2 1999 Chevrolet Full Size C/K 1500 Pickup 3 1996 Ford Explorer 4 1997 Ford F150 Series 5 2000 Honda Civic 6 1999 Ford Taurus 7 1987 Chevrolet Caprice 8 1993 Toyota Camry 9 1996 Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee 10 1997 Ford Ranger The NICB reports a number of reasons for the stolen vehicles: 1. Exports – NICB Agents have recovered a significant number of stolen vehicles from foreign countries. It is not unusual for stolen vehicles to be shipped intact to other countries where prospective buyers can have them for a fraction of what they would legitimately cost and with no questions asked. Whether enclosed in shipping containers at coastal ports or simply driven across the border into Canada, Mexico, or Central and South America, exports contribute to the tens of thousands of stolen vehicles which are never recovered. NICB’s Foreign Operations group actively pursues the repatriation of stolen vehicles in foreign countries and works closely with U.S. embassy personnel and foreign government officials to return those vehicles. In 2006, over 4,000 vehicles with a value of nearly $42 million were returned to the U.S. from Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Lithuania, México, Nicaragua and Italy. 2. Owner Give-Ups – An owner give-up is the term that describes a vehicle that has been reported stolen by its owner when the owner is actually making a false theft report. In these situations, vehicles are driven into ponds, lakes, or quarries, set on fire in sparsely populated areas, or even driven into Mexico and abandoned with their owners filing “theft” reports later. Owner give-ups are often motivated by economic factors. If a person owes more on a vehicle than it is worth, having it stolen allows the owner to walk away from the debt. Similarly, on a lease where the usage has exceeded the terms of the lease, a staged theft becomes an option. 3. Chop Shops – A good percentage of stolen vehicles end up in chop shops. These are places that disassemble stolen vehicles and sell their parts to individuals, dealers, body shops—just about anyone who has a need but lacks scruples. Thieves can sell the individual parts from older models for more money than the vehicle is worth intact. To help protect your vehicle, the South Carolina Insurance News Service recommends the following “Layered Approach to Protection” tips: * Common Sense – Use anti-theft devices that are standard on all vehicles: locks. Lock your car and take your keys. Park in well-lit areas and hide valuable items. * Warning Device – Use visible or audible warning devices to ensure that your car remains where you left it. * Immobilizing Device – Use “Kill” switches, fuel cut-offs, and smart keys. Generally speaking, if your car won’t start, it won’t get stolen. * Tracking Device - If your vehicle is stolen, these systems help law enforcement track and recover it and return it to you. Some systems will even inform you if your vehicle has been moved without your knowledge. Auto theft is covered under the comprehensive section of an auto insurance policy. Theft coverage applies to the loss of the vehicles as well as parts of the car such as air bags. Comprehensive coverage, which is not mandatory, also pays for fire, vandalism and weather-related damage including damage from flooding and earthquakes. Premium rates for comprehensive insurance are affected by the risk of loss, meaning the likelihood that an insured car will be stolen or damaged and the car’s value at the time of the loss. The dollar size of claims has been going up, reflecting the higher value of new cars on the road, the value of the cars that are targets for theft or are damaged and the cost of vehicle bodywork. To report vehicle theft or insurance fraud activity, call the South Carolina Insurance Fraud Hotline at 1-888-95-FRAUD or call the NICB at 1-800-835-6422. For more information about vehicle theft prevention and lists of the most frequently stolen vehicles countrywide, by state and 34 largest metropolitan areas, visit www.nicb.org. The National Insurance Crime Bureau is the nation’s leading not-for-profit organization dedicated exclusively to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through information analysis, investigations, training and public awareness. For over 30 years, the South Carolina Insurance News Service, a nonprofit organization, has been providing free insurance information to consumers and the media about property and casualty insurance issues. The News Service is funded by insurance companies doing business in South Carolina. * This report reflects only stolen vehicle data reported to NCIC in 2006. No further filtering of information is conducted, i.e., determining the total number of a particular make and model currently registered in the U.S. for comparison purposes. # # # For more information, contact the South Carolina Insurance News Service at 803-252-3455 or use our contact form. 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