Graphics: National Insurance Crime Bureau
A new report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau notes that pickup trucks are a popular choice for both personal and work use, and given their wide range of applications and utility, they have become a favorite of vehicle thieves as well.
Between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2013, 9,441 pickup trucks were reported stolen.
Full-sized pickup trucks were pilfered 8,367 times versus 895 for compact pickups. Mid-sized pickup trucks had the fewest thefts with 179.
Of those 9,441 pickup thefts, 4,428 are of the 2011 model year, 3,235 are of the 2012 model year, and 1,778 are of the 2013 model year, according to the data.
Texas experienced the highest number of pickup thefts with 2,130 – representing nearly 23 percent of all pickup truck thefts in the U.S. California came in second with 1,676 thefts, followed by Florida with 522.
The top theft Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA) was Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA with 455 thefts, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX with 322 thefts, and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX with 274 thefts.
Overall, 16 percent, or 1,480, of the pickup thefts in the analysis were unrecovered as of March 31.
These vehicles may have been targeted by sophisticated organized theft rings which dismantle stolen vehicles for parts, VIN switch them to resell to unsuspecting buyers or export them to other countries, the report suggests.
Together, Texas and California account for nearly 47 percent of all unrecovered pickups. Mississippi has the sixth most unrecovered thefts nationwide but has a staggering 39 percent unrecovered rate compared to 21 percent in Texas and 14 percent in California. Alabama has the ninth most unrecovered pickups, yet has the third highest unrecovered rate at 30 percent.
The full report can be downloaded here.
