Newly Released FBI Auto Theft Data Reveals Alarming Trends
- November 26, 2012
The FBI recently released the results from their 2011 Uniform Crime Report. While vehicle theft decreased 3% in 2011, we conducted in-depth analysis on the report and discovered a number of trends that demonstrate the need and importance of the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System:
The national recovery rate of stolen vehicles — 52% — is at 30-year low (lowest since 1981). With this drop, nearly half of the vehicles stolen in 2011 were never returned to their owners.
- In comparison, more than 90 percent of cars, light trucks and SUVs equipped with the LoJack System that were reported stolen in 2011 were recovered.
- 22 states had year-over-year increases in vehicle theft in 2011 vs. only 12 states in 2010
- Nearly 40% of MSAs (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) had year-over-year increases in vehicle theft in 2011 vs. 23% in 2010
- One-third of all vehicle thefts in the U.S. occurred in the four states bordering Mexico
Theft Protection Tips
LoJack Corporation recommends that vehicle owners follow the theft protection tips outlined below to help keep their vehicles safe from today’s criminals
Use Common Sense:
Be careful where you park your car and to whom you entrust your vehicle
- Never leave a key or key fob in the vehicle
- Close all windows; lock all doors
- Park in a well-lit area to deter thieves from doing their dirty work
- When at home, park in the garage
- When you use valet services, make sure they are reputable (many thieves pose as valets and simply drive off with your car)
- Hide all valuables, as they entice thieves to take your car – and what’s inside
- Never program your home address as “home” in your GPS navigation system – it’s an easy way for a thief to find your house, gain access to it and burglarize it
Use Theft Prevention Products:
While thieves can get around most of these, they may be less inclined to steal your vehicle if it has visible or audible warning devices like a wheel lock or alarm system. Immobilizers (kill switches and fuel cut-off devices) offer another means of protection, even though thieves often disable them.
Use a Tracking and Recovery System:
Since thieves can disarm theft prevention devices, recovery systems can provide the peace of mind that you’ll get your car back in the event it is stolen. Effective systems like the LoJack System are directly integrated with and used by police, use Radio Frequency technology – which has proven to be optimal for stolen vehicle recovery as it can track vehicles hidden in steal shipping containers, concrete garages or dense foliage – and are covert because it is nearly impossible to find and disengage the system.
How the LoJack System Works
The LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System offers the technology and recovery process that make it an effective system for recovering stolen vehicles. Based on Radio Frequency technology, the system delivers strong signals that do not require line of sight with satellites or cell towers and can therefore track vehicles where other devices can’t, such as in a steel container on a ship, in a parking garage or in dense foliage. The LoJack System is also directly integrated with law enforcement agencies around the country, which use LoJack Police Tracking Computers to find and recover stolen vehicles. Lastly, the system utilizes a small wireless Radio Frequency transceiver—now self-powered—that is highly covert, making it very difficult for thieves to find and disengage the system.
*Source: FBI Uniform Crime Report