Why Mass. thieves target older cars more than newer wheels
Nationwide, car thieves consider Honda vehicles a hot commodity. Here in Massachusetts, there is no exception.
In August, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) released its annual Hot Wheels report that revealed the 10 most-stolen vehicles in the United States. According to the NICB’s findings, the Honda Accord and Honda Civic took the top two spots on the list with 51,290 and 43,936 thefts in 2014 respectively.
In Massachusetts, the Accord and Civic are tied for most-stolen vehicle in the Commonwealth. According to NICB’s data, there were 615 thefts of both vehicles in 2014.
But NICB’s data also revealed that thieves in Massachusetts were more likely to target older vehicles. Honda Accords from model year 1996 and Civics from model year 1998 experienced the highest rates of thefts.
In a phone interview, NICB director of public affairs Frank Scafidi outlined the reasons car thieves target these older vehicles.
First, they’re popular.
Greater availability of these cars increases the likelihood the vehicles will be targeted by thieves.
“It’s not just in Massachusetts,’’ he said. “The Honda Accord has been the most-stolen car in the nation for a number of years because there are a ton of them out there.’’
Second, they’re reliable.
“It’s kind of a back-handed compliment because they last so long and are reliable,’’ said Scafidi.
But besides reliability, Scafidi believes thieves also know these cars are more likely to be well-maintained by their owners. In other words, thieves are targeting older cars in order to sell their parts to chop shops.
“The older vehicle is, the chances are it doesn’t have full coverage for insurance,’’ said Scafidi. “If it gets banged up in a crash and needs a fender replaced, the chances are it’s from another identical vehicle that’s been stolen.’’
Third, they have less sophisticated security.
“Each generation [of car] makes it more difficult to steal vehicle without having a key,’’ said Scafidi. “That’s having a positive impact on vehicle thefts across the board. Thieves can still steal them obviously, but it’s more difficult to steal newer ones than older ones.’’
According to data provided by NICB, there were 8,260 motor vehicle thefts in Massachusetts last year according to FBI statistics. That’s 122.4 thefts per 100,000 people.
But the silver lining is car thefts have been steadily falling for the past two decades. And 8,260 is a far cry from the 91,563 vehicles that were stolen in the Commonwealth in 1975, the peak year for auto theft according to NICB.
“Auto theft today is not nearly what it was 20 years ago even though we still see thefts here and there,’’ said Scafidi. “Thefts have been on a national decline for years because of new technology and security.’’
But even, so he cautions car owners to do whatever they can to protect their vehicle.
“People still can’t let their guard down,’’ he said. “Lock your doors, take your keys with you. Don’t make your vehicle an easy target for a thief.’’
Check out the 10 most frequently stolen cars in Massachusetts in 2014:
[bdc-gallery id=”1418538″]
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com