Most Stolen car in America and Why?

The Highway Loss Data Institute has had records of all the vehicles that have been stolen, mainly the ones that have been insured. The data is matched to the Insurance records that are being collected every month. In addition to the Highway loss data, the National Insurance Crime Bureau also lists the Honda Civic as the most stolen car in the united states. In 2017, Civic was the most targeted car with over 45,000 being stolen. Its huge prevalence on the roads and due to the lack of security in the older models means that it is a favorite among thieves.  Each year, thousands of vehicles are stolen because owners leave their keys or fobs in vehicles, pretty much-inviting theft.

According to statistics, nearly 124 Civic’s are stolen every day. Apparently, thieves just love Honda. If automotive pundits are to believed, stealing cars nowadays are much harder, but then the statistics speak a different story. One such interesting coincidence is that the most stolen car in America is also the car that has been in most wrecks. If facts are to be added up, stealing a car and selling it makes a hundred percent profit, whereas, finding parts for a car that has been in a wreck costs much more. Car thefts are more evident from chop-shops, and there are plenty of chop-shops in and around New-Jersey that master in taking the wrecked car apart and selling it for parts. Ironically, the cars which are much more powerful and expensive are not stolen that often, as it is pretty hard to bypass their security systems.

Some of the major leading points behind stealing a car this old are, the use of a simple key. Cars this old didn’t have the locking steering column, or those gear shifter locks, which in turn made the cars pretty easy to be hot-wired. But even with the addition of the interlock system on the steering wheel, thieves managed to bypass those securities by jamming in a screwdriver into the keyhole slot. Then came a game-changer, the immobilizer key, which contained an immobilizer chip that was used to let the ignition and fuel injection system work in pairs to run the car smoothly. But that could be bypassed too with a simple solution of just having to tow the car along. Nevertheless, that proved to be a bit more cumbersome.  because now not only do you need a key to turn on the engine, you also need a chip that would require to run interfaces with the computer to allow the engine to run. Further down the evolution line, the automotive industry came up with the keyless system that contained a transponder. That too could be bypassed as the thief just needed a fancy software that is to be used, granted its expensive, to program the key and just drive away.

Now what remains to be seen is what could be done to prevent these thefts. The NICB has advised drivers to keep their four “layers of protection” in mind.

  • These include basic common sense such as locking the vehicle and taking the keys.

  • It also helps to have a visible or audible warning device.

  • The same goes for an immobilizer which prevents thieves from getting the engine up and running. And also because they still have to make a key that matches the car.

  • Their final recommendation is fitting a tracking device which emits a signal to the police or a monitoring station, which can prove crucial in helping authorities recover a stolen vehicle.

You can always install the low jack system . the better the car is protected, the harder it is for the thieves to steal your car!