A Historical Analysis of Vehicle Theft in New York 1965 - 2013

Thefts are Down 92 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 New York. From its peak auto theft year in 1990 when 187,591 vehicles were stolen, New York has experienced a significant decline ending 2013 with 15,482 thefts. That's a reduction of 92 percent since 1990.

From 1965 through 1994, with the exception of 1986 when Texas was in second place, New York has ranked second to California as the state with the most annual vehicle thefts. That's 29 years—21 consecutively. But since then, no other state has enjoyed as dramatic a decline in thefts as New York.

New York vehicle thefts skyrocketed beginning in 1985 before peaking in 1990 and falling off precipitously—a downward trend that continued through 2013. Like other states, New York 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 New York 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