The number of stolen cars increased 54% from 1.0 million in 1981 to 1.66 million in 1991. The number of registered vehicles on the road increased 20%. Car thefts declined, partly because cars became more difficult to steal. Consumers spent $400 million on auto security devices in 1996, from "kill" switches to sophisticated alarm systems. LoJack Corporation provides an electronic tracking system for stolen vehicles and credits its system with the recovery of more than 50,000 vehicles valued at $1 billion.
During the early 1990s, there was evidence that stealing cars is related to offenses such as robbery and drug trafficking. The Anti-Car Theft Act, passed in 1992, is an effort to strengthen laws against auto theft, and related crimes.
The Honda Accord and Toyota Camry rank as both the top selling and most stolen vehicles in the U.S. Robert Bryant, president of the National Insurance Crime Bureau observed: "Vehicle thieves follow market trends and target the most popular vehicles because they provide the best market for stolen vehicle parts and illegal export to other countries." Pickups, mini-vans, and sport utility vehicles made up about one-third of the list of the top 50 stolen vehicles in the country.
More than 30% of stolen vehicles are never recovered. Many of the stolen vehicles are shipped overseas or driven across the border. Roughly 200,000 vehicles are illegally exported each year. The top communities for auto theft are all near borders or ports: Phoenix, AZ, Miami, FL, Fresno, CA, Detroit, MI, and Sacramento, CA.
As cars became more difficult to steal, a new type of crime arose. In carjacking a thief takes the car with actual or implied force force. A driver can be victimized anywhere at any time.
Statistics show that between 1987 and 1992, there was an average of 35,000 attempted and completed carjackings each year in the U.S. (Department of Justice). Between 1992 and 1996, there were 48,787 such incidents annually, an increase of 39%. The split between attempted and completed carjackings is about 50-50 for each period. Men were victimized more than women; blacks more than whites; city residents more than those in the suburbs.2
Annual Average Rates of Attempted or Completed Carjackings, 1992-1996
| Characteristic | Rate (per 100,000 people) |
| 12-24 years old | 2.5 |
| 25-49 years old | 3.6 |
| 50 or older | 0.9 |
| Males | 3.1 |
| Females | 1.9 |
| Whites | 2.0 |
| All Hispanics | 6.1 |
| All Non-Hispanics | 2.2 |
| Urban | 4.0 |
| Suburban | 2.4 |
The number of stolen cars increased nearly 2% from 1999 to 2000, from 1.152 million to 1.165 million vehicles. Every step we take to prevent crime helps, of course. But some of us are making theft too easy. The National Insurance Crime Bureau says that more than 21% of all car owners do not lock their doors.
Sources: "Car Theft Fact Sheet." Online. Available: http://www.carsdirect.com. "National Motor Vehicle Title Information System." Online. Available: http://www.aamva.org; "Lojack Company Overview." Retrieved from http://www.lojack.com; "Top Theft Areas." Online. Available: http://www.nicb.org/services; Bureau of Justice Statistics, Carjacking: National Crime Victimization Survey and Carjackings in the United States, 1992-96.
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