Yahoo Autos Halloween Is a Scary Time for Car Theft, Insurance Group Reports
Most trick-or-treaters come for the candy on Halloween, but some visitors to your driveway might actually want your car.
According to a new report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a nonprofit group of insurance companies that tracks vehicle thefts reported to police, more cars are stolen on Halloween than on many other U.S. holidays and special days. In 2017, the most recent data available, thieves stole 2297 cars on October 31, compared to the 2228 vehicles stolen on average each day. By comparison, thieves tended to be quietest on Christmas (1548 cars), followed by Thanksgiving (1682), Christmas Eve (1737), and New Year's Eve (1962). They were much more in evidence on Labor Day (2180) and Independence Day (2124). Memorial Day and President's Day were worse, at 2290 and 2312 thefts respectively. Nothing topped New Year's Day, at 2469 thefts-not even Halloween-although Valentine's Day wasn’t far behind at 2169.
It comes as no surprise, considering its dense population of people and registered cars, that California was the number-one state for all holiday car thefts. It was followed by Texas, Florida, Washington State, and Georgia. Typically, thefts overall rise and fall with the seasons, with 2017’s lowest monthly average of car thefts coming in March (2072) and its peak in July (2350). Yearly thefts totaled 813,389, according to the NICB. That’s 7 percent higher than in 2016 and 15 percent higher than 2015.
Among all vehicles stolen, it's likelier that thieves will successfully nab a 20-year-old Honda Civic than a brand-new Audi R8. The 1998 Civic was 2017's most stolen car, with 45,062 reported thefts, followed by the 1997 Accord at 43,764. However, new and late-model Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Altima, and GMC Sierra models were all among the top 10 stolen vehicles that year. The NICB said that many thefts-especially those of new cars-occur because people leave their cars unlocked with the keys inside. Even kids in costumes have to work harder for their loot.
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