Car Thieves Work Year Round, Even On Holidays

DES PLAINES, Ill., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The good news is that of all the days in the year, your car is least likely to be stolen on Christmas Day. The bad news is that car thieves never take a holiday.

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), parking lots filled with cars loaded with packages present a tempting target for car thieves. Even though the weather may be cold in much of the country, vehicles are still a hot commodity during the holidays.

"Thieves never seem to miss an opportunity to do their dirty work," said Joe Wehrle, president and CEO of the NICB. "While some of them don't like to work on holidays, others still prefer to take rather than to give, even on Christmas Day. On Christmas Day last year, a vehicle was stolen every 47 seconds."

While the month of December recorded the fewest number of vehicle thefts per day in 2007, there were still an average of 2,842 cars reported stolen each day of the month. For the entire year, the daily average theft rate nationwide was 3,123 vehicles. August was the busiest month with 3,312 per day.

Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day were the days with the lowest number of thefts in both 2006 and 2007. In 2007, there were 2,220 thefts on Thanksgiving Day, 2,541 thefts on Christmas Eve and 1,830 on Christmas Day.

"Fortunately, we've seen a steady decline in the number of vehicle thefts nationwide over the past few years thanks to the efforts of the insurance industry, law enforcement and the vehicle manufacturers who are constantly working to make car-owners more aware of the problem and to provide better anti-theft technology," said Wehrle.

The NICB reminds drivers to be vigilant during the busy shopping season. That includes parking in well-lit areas, keeping packages in the trunk or out of sight, and making sure your vehicle is locked and the alarm turned on while it's parked.

One other statistic worth noting: You car is most likely to be stolen on a Monday or Friday, while Sundays and Wednesdays were the slowest days for thefts.

About the National Insurance Crime Bureau: Headquartered in Des Plaines, IL, the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through information analysis, investigations, training and public awareness. The NICB is supported by more than 1,000 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. To learn more visit www.nicb.org.

    Contact: Frank Scafidi
    916.979.7025
    fscafidi@nicb.org