A Historical Analysis of Vehicle Theft in Florida 1960 - 2013

Thefts are Down 73 Percent from Their Peak

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Dec 16, 2014, 06:00 ET

DES PLAINES, Ill., Dec. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) today released a historic look at vehicle theft in Florida. From its peak auto theft year in 1994 when 127,186 vehicles were stolen, Florida has experienced a significant decline ending 2013 with 34,912 thefts. That's a reduction of 73 percent since 1994.

Beginning in 1984, Florida saw a steady—and steep—increase in annual auto thefts. From 1989 through 1998, Florida recorded over 100,000 thefts each year before an equally impressive downward slide took hold in 1999. Thefts did have an occasional year-to-year increase, but overall they have been trending down since 1999. Like other states, Florida authorities employed some innovative law enforcement programs; among them the use of bait cars and license plate readers. In short, technology has had a huge positive impact.

Not only is law enforcement exploiting technology, but auto manufacturers have been outfitting vehicles with more and more theft prevention products—from smart keys to immobilizers to tracking systems. So vehicles today are much harder to steal and that is good news for everyone who owns a vehicle.

Even though auto theft is affecting fewer people these days, if you are one of its unfortunate victims, it can be a real hassle recovering from the loss. That is why NICB consistently reminds people to take precautions against vehicle theft and to follow its "layers of protection."

See the full Florida report here.

Anyone with information concerning insurance fraud or vehicle theft can report it anonymously by calling toll-free 800-TEL-NICB (800-835-6422), texting keyword "fraud" to TIP411 (847411) or submitting a form on our website. Or, download the NICB Fraud Tips app on your iPhone or Android device.

About the National Insurance Crime Bureau: headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through data analytics, investigations, training, legislative advocacy and public awareness. The NICB is supported by more than 1,100 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote $371 billion in insurance premiums in 2013, or more than 78 percent of the nation's property/casualty insurance. That includes more than 93 percent ($168 billion) of the nation's personal auto insurance. To learn more visit www.nicb.org.

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SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau