Last year, a vehicle was reported stolen once every 45 seconds in the United States, according to the Des Plaines, Illinois-based National Insurance Crime Bureau.
And one out of every eight thefts was a pretty simple for the thief. There was a theft every six-and-a-half minutes where the driver left the keys or fob inside.
It's a growing problem. The 57,096 thefts in 2015 amounted to a 22 percent increase over the previous year, according to the latest report from the NICB. Over the past three years, this kind of theft grew by 31 percent.
|Numbers may be higher
Since many people don't admit to leaving their car unlocked with the keys or fob inside, the actual numbers of thefts with the keys left in vehicles may be considerably higher than the report indicates.
Recommended For You
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
Jayleen R. Heft
Jayleen Heft is the digital content editor for PropertyCasualty360.com. Contact her at [email protected].
