Aptera: It's Baaaaaaaaack! (We'll Believe It When...

California is America's car theft capital

 
1 1,877 views Jul 16, 2008
Follow Nelson

California is America's car theft capital

California is America's car theft capital

Enlarge Photo
Figures released today show that four of the top five cities for car theft are in California, based on 2007 statistics. The research, done by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, is based on reported thefts and ranks cities by the number of cars stolen per 100,000 inhabitants.

The four highest ranking California cities include the central valley's Modesto in the No. 1 spot, with the San Diego/San Marcos/Carlsbad metro area in third, Stockton in fourth and the San Francisco/Fremont/Oakland metro area in fifth. Las Vegas, Nevada is the only non-California city breaking into the top five.

Primary contributing factors to the state's high theft rates include the proximity to the international border with Mexico, which makes it easier for thieves to abscond with stolen cars and evade capture. The numerous seaports throughout the state also make export-driven theft easier, but not to the same extent as the border with Mexico, reports MSNBC. Finally, the huge number of cars in California mean the totals are are going to be high as well, although the NICB rankings are based on per capita theft rates.

Last week the same group released figures on the most stolen cars, placing the Honda Civic at the top of that list. Taken together with the data released today, owners of Honda Civics living in California should be on the alert. Your cars are more likely to be stolen than any others, anywhere in the country.

The silver lining? Thefts may be down as much as 9% overall compared to 2006 data. Full figures will be released in the next few months.



Tags:
Posted in:
 
Contribute
Send us a tip Comment Contact the editor
Follow Us

 

Have an opinion?Join the conversation!

  • Posting indicates you have read this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • Notify me when there are more comments
Comment (1)

  1. By Gus Posted: 7/16/2008 5:57pm PDT

    Living here, I can still say that it's worth it...

    But then again I live in Newport Beach with a view of the ocean, so that's easy for me to say... :)
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

 

Have an opinion?Join the conversation!

Connect with Facebook

Motor Authority. Now with your friends.

Discover stories your friends read.
Share stories more easily.
You control what you share.
Learn more

Research New Cars

Go!


More from High Gear Media

 
 
MotorAuthority
  • Follow Us
  • Twiiter
  • Facebook
 
 
© 2011 MotorAuthority. All Rights Reserved. MotorAuthority is published by High Gear Media. Stock photography by Homestar, LLC. Send us feedback.