Auto Thieves Ring in the New Year, Most Vehicle Thefts Occur on January 1: NICB

Of all the holidays in 2012, New Year’s Day was the most active for vehicle thefts with 2,228 reported across the country according to analysis of the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) vehicle theft data in a report released today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). Meanwhile, Christmas Day repeats as the holiday with the dual distinction for having the lowest theft figure for a holiday, as well as the lowest reported vehicle thefts of any day in 2012 with 1,432.

For the 11 holidays reviewed in 2012, a total of 21,325 vehicles were reported stolen compared with a total of 20,800 reported for those same days in 2011—a 2.5 percent increase.

Although New Year’s Day was the holiday with the most reported thefts, there were 64 other dates in 2012 that recorded more theft activity. June 1, July 23, and August 1 were the most active dates overall with thefts of 2,579, 2,525, and 2,457 respectively.

The holidays ranked by number of thefts reported to the NCIC in 2012 were:

1. New Year’s Day (2,228)

2. Labor Day (2,158)

3. New Year’s Eve (2,152)

4. Memorial Day (2,078)

5. Halloween (2,053)

6. Christmas Eve (2,034)

7. Independence Day (1,955)

8. President’s Day (1,925)

9. Thanksgiving (1,656)

10. Valentine’s Day (1,654)

11. Christmas Day (1,432)

Source: NICB