There’s good news for car owners: the last time vehicle thefts were this low was 1967, when there were a whole lot less cars on the roads to steal and technologies like LoJack and smart keys were still decades off. In 2010, 737,404 cars were stolen in the United States, which is a decline of 7.2 percent from 2009’s already low 794,616 thefts.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau attributes the decline to two primary factors: improved anti-theft technology, now incorporated into even base-model cars, and increased efforts by law enforcement to target car thefts. Fresno, California, and the surrounding area had the highest auto theft rates, and California took the dubious honor of having eight cities in the top ten for auto theft. State College, Pennsylvania laid claim to having the lowest rate of auto theft in the nation, and just in case you’re wondering, you’re 27 times more likely to have a car stolen in Fresno than you are in State College.
Source: Left Lane News
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
