It’s that time of year again! In preparation for the holidays, we spend long hours shopping, stopping to place valuables in the back seats and trunks of our vehicles, and moving along to the next store, leaving our vehicles co
mpletely unattended. And here we are, vulnerable and attractive targets for car thieves. Some just steal the valuables, while others help themselves to the whole car! Oh joy!
Thanks to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), we have newly released data highlighting the holidays ranked by the number of vehicle thefts in 2015. And they are:
Halloween (2,238)
New Year’s Eve (2,227)
Labor Day (2,171)
Christmas Eve (2,071)
Memorial Day (2,040)
New Year’s Day (2,029)
Independence Day (1,981)
President’s Day (1,787)
Valentine’s Day (1,690)
Thanksgiving (1,653)
Christmas Day (1,620)
Even though Christmas Day is number 11 on this list, that doesn’t mean you are at a lower risk.
And, just for fun, the NICB threw out some numbers for those of us who believe Black Friday to be a holiday! In 2015 alone, there were 2,244 car thefts reported (that is a 36% increase in comparison to Thanksgiving Day)! We don’t think this is particularly surprising, as Black Friday doorbusters begin late night on Thanksgiving into the wee hours of the morning of Black Friday (while it’s still dark) and a lot of people venture out for big ticket items…that they end up storing in the trunks of their cars!
Make sure you lock up your vehicles, park in well-lit areas, take your spare keys and fobs out of the vehicle and in a safe place for keeping, and check out this infographic below! Stay safe and happy shopping!