Areas with the Highest Auto Theft Rates
Eight of the top-10 are in California
In its annual Hot Spots Report, the National Insurance Crime Bureau lists the metropolitan areas with the highest auto theft rates – and eight of the top-ten are in California.1
Fresno, Modesto, Bakersfield, Vallejo-Fairfield, Sacramento, Stockton, Visalia-Porterville and San Francisco along with Spokane and Yakima, Wash., constitute the top-ten with a combined 64,077 vehicles stolen in 2010.1
There were more than 700,000 auto thefts nationwide in 2010 with 150,000 occurring in California, the most for any state. Vermont, which reported 441 vehicles stolen, had the fewest.1
Regardless of where you live, it’s important to know what to do if your vehicle is stolen. Here are a few suggestions:
- The best offense is a good defense. Consider purchasing comprehensive car insurance from Mercury, which covers your vehicle if it is damaged in anything other than a collision. This includes auto theft, vandalism, floods, hailstorms and fire damage.
- Contact police immediately if your vehicle is stolen and file a report. The chances of recovering a stolen vehicle decreases as time passes.
- Be sure to have the following information when filing a claim with your insurance carrier:
- Policy number
- When and where you last saw your car (date, time and location)
- Year, make and model
- Vehicle identification number
- License plate number
- Police report number
- Be sure to list any additional valuables that were in your car at the time it was stolen.
- Offer photos of your car, if possible, to the police and your claims adjuster.
For tips on how you can mitigate the risk of auto theft, click here. At Mercury Insurance, our low rates are just the beginning. Get a free online quote today.
1National Insurance Crime Bureau
