National Insurance Crime Bureau in its annual "Hot Wheels" study reports that in 2005 there was a tiny dip in auto theft levels and the car most often stolen was the 1991 Honda Accord.

The next nine vehicles in order of popularity with thieves were:

2. 1995 Honda Civic

3. 1989 Toyota Camry

4. 1994 Dodge Caravan

5. 1994 Nissan Sentra

6. 1997 Ford F150 Series

7. 1990 Acura Integra

8. 1986 Toyota Pickup

9. 1993 Saturn SL

10. 2004 Dodge Ram Pickup

Nationally, according to NICB, thefts occur every 25.5 seconds and about 38 percent of all stolen vehicles are never recovered.

NICB said 1,235,226 motor vehicles were reported stolen--2,625 fewer than in 2004. Using the FBI's average valuation of $6,173 per stolen vehicle, the NICB calculated this amounts to over $7.6 billion in losses in 2005--just in vehicle value alone.

The FBI Uniform Crime Report divides the nation into four regions: Midwest, Northeast, South and West. The Midwest, with 22.3 percent of the nation's population, reported 225,519 vehicle thefts (an increase of 0.4 percent over 2004) and represents 18.3 percent of the total number of vehicles stolen in 2005.

The Northeast, with 18.4 percent of the population, reported 129,835 vehicle thefts (a decrease of 9.5 percent from 2004) and represents 10.5 percent of the total stolen.

In the South, with 36.3 percent of the population, reported 412,033 thefts (a decrease of 2.3 percent from 2004) and represents 33.4 percent of the total number of vehicles stolen.

With 23 percent of the population, the West reported 467,839 vehicle thefts (an increase of 4.5 percent over 2004) and represents 37.9 percent of the total number of vehicles stolen.

NICB said only 62.1 percent of stolen vehicles were recovered last year and many of the more than 450,000 missing vehicles are involved in insurance fraud and related vehicle theft activities.

NICB said a good percentage of stolen vehicles end up in chop shops where thieves sell the individual parts from older models for more money than the vehicle is worth intact.

This type of fraud is helped by unethical body shops submitting repair bills to insurance companies, which show original equipment manufacturer replacement parts were obtained and used when in reality the parts used were obtained from a chop shop.

Insurers, NICB said, pay the higher invoice cost and the body shop pockets the difference. The legitimate purchase price for a right rear panel set for the popular Honda Accord is $582, according to the group.

NICB said agents have recovered a significant number of stolen vehicles that were exported to foreign countries. The organization said it is not unusual for stolen vehicles to be shipped intact to other countries where prospective buyers can have them for a fraction of what they would legitimately cost and with no questions asked.

Stolen exports are enclosed in shipping containers at coastal ports or simply driven across the border into Canada or Mexico and elsewhere, contributing to "tens of thousands of stolen vehicles which are never recovered," NICB said.

The organization reported that the NICB Foreign Operations group actively pursues the re-patriation of stolen vehicles in foreign countries and works closely with U.S. embassy personnel and foreign government officials to return those vehicles.

Last year, it said over 3,000 vehicles were returned to the United States from Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Lituania, Mexico, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

More details are available on the organization's Web site at www.nicb.org.

Special Reports /

1995 Honda Civic Is Car Thieves' Favorite

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