Some people were hoping 2023 was going to mark the beginning of a trend where car theft rates finally start falling. After all, they’ve been on an unbelievable upswing for several years now, but no such relief is in sight.
Alleged police impersonator carjacks Mustang, crashes running from police.
Instead, a new report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau indicates car thefts in the United States set a new annual record last year. That’s not the direction we want to see things going but it’s the sad reality we all live in.
According to the NICB, vehicles reported stolen in 2023 hit a new high mark at 1,020,729. That’s higher than the 1,008,756 cars stolen in 2022.
If you live in California, you reside in the state with the most thefts with 208,668 cars stolen during 2023. But the highest rate of theft per capita is in Washington, D.C. where 1,149.71 vehicle thefts happened per 100,000 people, a number which more than triples the national rate.
NICB highlights in its report that densely populated areas are still big hunting grounds for car thieves. Meanwhile, suburbs and rural areas have seen far fewer thefts, although you vehicle could be stolen anywhere. We recommend vigilance no matter where you live.
The trend of increasing car theft rates has been going since 2019, despite some previously claiming it was all due to the pandemic.
In a release announcing these shocking figures, NICB President and CEO David J. Glawe concentrated on criminals using advanced technologies to hack into and start cars as a big driver of theft. He believes the auto industry and law enforcement need to combine resources to find a way to put an end to the trend.
But is technology really at the heart of continually increasing car thefts?
Image via Jason Deyo/Facebook
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