How safe is the city you live in? The NICB has identified the top ten cities in the United States that have the highest vehicle theft rates. Many of the cities at the top of the list are located in California, but this doesn’t mean that cities located in other states do not experience high vehicle theft rates.
No matter what you drive, your vehicle is very important to you and your family. You, and your spouse, need it in order to get to your workplace, where you earn your income. You use your vehicle to bring your children to school, to pick them up afterwards, and to drive them to whatever after school activities they are participating in.
Grocery shopping is much easier when you have your own vehicle to load the groceries into. If someone in your family has a medical emergency, you will need to have access to your vehicle in order to drive them to the hospital.
It can be devastating to have your car stolen. Most people feel a sense of having been violated when this happens to them. It shakes up your routine because you have to find ways to do things without the use of your car. No one wants to have to suddenly come up with the money to buy another vehicle. Most people don’t enjoy having to file a claim to their auto insurance company, either.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB ) has just released it’s list of cities that have the most car thefts. This is something they do annually. Many of the cities on this year’s list are located in California.
At the top of the list is Fresno, California. Number two is Modesto, California, and number three is Bakersfield-Delano, California. Spokane, Washington is listed as the fourth city on the list. Rounding out the top five is Vallejo-Fairfield, California.
Number six on the list of the cities with the most car thefts this year is Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, California. Number seven is Stockton, California, and number eight is Visalia-Porterville, California. Finishing out the list of the top ten, we have San Francisco – Oakland- Fremont, California, at number nine, and Yakima, Washington, at number ten.
Now, if your city didn’t make the top ten, this doesn’t mean that you are perfectly safe. There are a total of 366 cities on this year’s list. This doesn’t mean it is time to become completely paranoid about the safety of your vehicle, either. There are things you can do to help prevent your car, truck, or SUV from being stolen.
Make sure you lock the doors. Don’t leave your vehicle running while you dash back inside your home to grab that one item you almost forgot to take with you. When you park your car in a parking lot, choose a place that is well lit, and easily visible. These are just a few ideas that can help keep your car safe from thieves.
Image by Ron Reiring on Flickr