Home for the Holidays? Not If You're a Car Thief
DES PLAINES, Ill. –New data released today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) shows a total of 22,705 vehicles were reported stolen on the 11 holidays in 2016 covered in this report. NICB theft data is pulled from the National Crime Information Center's (NCIC) stolen vehicle file which showed a total of 803,719 vehicle thefts for the year.
Halloween was the top holiday with 2,578 reported thefts. Halloween was followed, in descending order, by Labor Day (2,258), New Year's Day (2,242), Memorial Day (2,139) and New Year's Eve (2,110).
Download the complete report here and an infographic here.
The holidays with the fewest thefts in 2016 were: Christmas Day (1,664), Thanksgiving (1,777), Valentine's Day (1,789), President's Day (2,008) and Christmas Eve (2,054).
Holidays ranked by the number of thefts in 2016 were:
- Halloween (2,578)
- Labor Day (2,258)
- New Year's Day (2,242)
- Memorial Day (2,139)
- New Year's Eve (2,110)
- Independence Day (2,086)
- Christmas Eve (2,054)
- President's Day (2,008)
- Valentine's Day (1,789)
- Thanksgiving (1,777)
- Christmas Day (1,664)
California was the number one state with the most holiday vehicle thefts in 2016 with 5,285. It was followed by, in descending order, Texas (2,121), Florida (1,397), Washington (889) and Georgia (763).
NICB reminds drivers to be vigilant and to secure their cars during this season as vehicle thieves are not filled with the holiday spirit. Some will definitely make a gift to themselves of your vehicle if you make it easy for them.