America’s Most Stolen Car Is…
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Tomohiro Ohsumi/Bloomberg via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — It may not be new or expensive, but the 1994 Honda Accord was the most stolen car in America last year for the fourth year in a row, according to a new report.
Honda’s 1998 Civic model was the second-most stolen vehicle of the year, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s “Hot Wheels” report, released Monday; the full-size 2006 Ford pickup rolled in (or perhaps out) at number three.
“It’s transportation. It’s for the parts,” NICB spokesman Frank Scafidi explained. “It’s to commit some other crime. Or it’s just to get on the other side of town when you can’t figure out a bus schedule.”
“[The models on this list] are more numerous,” Scafidi said, “they have been around a lot longer and they are easier to steal.”
There were 3.3 percent fewer car thefts reported in 2011 compared to the year prior, the report said, citing preliminary FBI statistics.
But while overall thefts are declining, NICB president Joe Wehrle notes, “we are seeing a trend toward increases in the thefts of late model vehicles − ones that are theoretically harder to steal due to sophisticated key code technology.”
“Today’s vehicle thieves are typically professional criminals who have figured out how to get the key code for a specific vehicle, have a replacement key made, and steal the vehicle within a matter of days,” Wehrle said. “We are aware of nearly 300 thefts that took place in the first three months of this year in which we believe replacement keys using illegally obtained key codes were used to steal the vehicle.”
More than 700,000 vehicles were reported stolen in the United States last year, according to the report.
Here is the NICB’s list of last year’s most stolen vehicles:
1. 1994 Honda Accord
2. 1998 Honda Civic
3. 2006 Ford Pickup (Full Size)
4. 1991 Toyota Camry
5. 2000 Dodge Caravan
6. 1994 Acura Integra
7. 1999 Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)
8. 2004 Dodge Pickup (Full Size)
9. 2002 Ford Explorer
10. 1994 Nissan Sentra
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