The hype surrounding car thefts has been widely seen all over the cinematic world, but it continues to be a nuisance in everyday life. Life might be pretty easy for a citizen residing on the West Coast of the US, but their problem of high car theft is just as real. The notorious reputation that the place has is that of “the car theft capital of the US.”
Cities like Los Angeles have a logical basis for being a major hub of car thefts because of their proximity to the border. However, many other US cities that are known to have a high rate of car theft don’t usually make much sense. For example, we have Portland, Oregon, etc.
Portland As A Hotspot
In fact, Portland is extremely prone to car thefts, with the highest car thefts per capita. With the average rate of car thefts soaring as high as 250 thefts per 100,000 people, it is safe to assume that you run twice the risk of getting your car stolen in Portland. If you are a citizen of Portland, it is highly recommended for you to be in touch with a Portland car accident lawyer.
Heads Up For The Following Cities
Portland is very closely followed by several other cities such as Seattle, Salt Lake City, or even San Francisco. While theft of cars stolen per capita is highest in Portland, the number of cars stolen puts Los Angeles on a higher rank. Yearly, it beats Portland’s rate of 11,000 cars stolen per year, with 44,000 cars more than that. Los Angeles holds a rank of 10 on this list, despite that.
To round up the figures in other cities,
1. Los Angeles is closely followed by San Francisco, with a rate of 21,902.
2. Riverside, California, with a rate of 19,329, comes pretty close.
3. Seattle is yet another prominent city in this, right after Riverside, California.
In lieu of the pandemic situation, the travel rates have gone down very significantly. This has affected the number of cars on the streets, resulting in lower car thefts since 2020. Car theft rates have decreased by 13% between 2017 and 2019. The exact figures can be understood once the published reports of car thefts in 2020 are out.
Car Check
After this, the question that comes to mind is, “What models are being targeted in these car thefts?”. Let’s take Arizona as our sample state. The figures prominently show that the highest stolen cars include cars sold most popularly, such as Ford and Chevy pickups, between the years 2000 to 2007. In addition to this, there are also 2000 Honda Civics and 1997 Accords. The high steal rate of these cars in Arizona can probably be attributed to the fact that they’re either more popular or can be easily stolen.
A report curated by AutoinsuraceEZ.com about these car thefts states that, “This reflects national trends with Hondas and pickup trucks being among the top vehicles stolen for several years. Often, thieves will pick vehicles to steal depending on how easy it is to steal them and how valuable their parts are for resale. That’s why many of the most stolen vehicles have model ages dating back to the mid-2000s or older. They have fewer anti-theft devices.”
It doesn’t end here. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, while 2000 Honda Civics and 1997 Accords continue to be the most stolen cars in America, there are several new cars stolen as well. It is easier to say that these “new cars” can be ranked in terms of the “most likely cars to be stolen.” Take a look at this list:
1. Dodge Charger Hemi
2. Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
3. Infiniti Q50
4. Infiniti QX80
5. GMC Sierra 1500
6. Dodge Challenger
7. Nissan Maxima
8. Chevy Silverado 1500 Crew Cab
9. Chrysler 300 AWD
10. Mercedes-Benz S-Class Sedan
Concluding Note
According to the FBI, every 42.2 seconds, a car is stolen in the US. It is an average figure between the years 2016 and 2018.
