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While car thefts are lower on most holidays, car thieves typically don't take days off.
Two holidays, Halloween and New Year's Day, saw more car thefts than average in 2011 -- 2,328 thefts on Halloween and 2,286 thefts on New Year's Day -- compared to 2,055 on average per day in 2011, according to data by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, or NICB. Christmas Day saw the smallest number of thefts of any day in 2011 -- 1,347 car thefts.
According to the NICB, car thefts were lowest earlier in the year, remaining below the monthly average for January, February, March and April. For May through December, thefts were above average, hitting a peak in July 2011. The three highest car-theft days of 2011 were August 1 with 2,687 cars, July 1 with 2,623 cars and July 11 with 2,497 cars.
The NICB says that while car thefts have declined steadily for the last eight years, cars still remain a popular target for theft, while items left in cars typically are easily to sell on the black market. Because of that, remember to park in well-lit areas, keep packages and other items out of sight, and keep your car locked when it is parked.
Are you worried about car thefts? Have you been the victim of car theft?
Tara Baukus Mello writes the cars blog as well as the weekly Driving for Dollars column, providing both practical financial advice for consumers as well as insight into the latest developments in the automotive world. Follow her on Facebook here or on Twitter @SheDrives.
