Areas in California warned to take efforts for prevention to save on insurance.
According to the auto theft statistics from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the West Coast of the United States have the worst rates in the entire country.
This same data did have a positive side, though, as the overall number of stolen cars are declining.
In 4 of the top 10 American metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), there was a collective increase of 925 of the number of stolen vehicles reported last year. However, among the remaining six MSAs, there was a decline reported of a collective 2,017.
The FBI’s auto theft statistics also support the apparent trend from the NICB data. The Bureau’s preliminary crime stats for 2011 were released last week and show that the number of stolen vehicles fell by 3.3 percent when compared to 2010, when there were 737,142 reports made.
One of the main factors contributing to the numbers decline was the situation in Laredo, Texas.
Back in 2009, this city, which is located on the American border, was the number one urban center for this form of crime. However, according to the data from 2011, it has now plummeted to the 53rd position. This was due to a drop of 53 percent from 2009, when there had been 1,792 reports, to last year, when 849 reports were made.
The current auto theft statistics now place California cities in the top three slots, and make up 7 of the top urban centers out of ten.
The top ten cities from 2011 for stolen vehicle reports have now been identified as:
1. Fresno, CA
2. Modesto, CA
3. Bakersfield-Delano, CA
4. Spokane, WA
5. Yakima, WA
6. San Francisco/Oakland/Fremont, CA
7. Stockton, CA
8. Anderson, SC
9. Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
10. Visalia-Porterville, CA
According to insurance experts, the key to keeping your premiums down even if you reside in one of those areas that have high auto theft statistics is to take the right precautions and report them to your insurer so that discounts can be applied. These include various efforts ranging from alarm systems to other anti-theft products.
