According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) in 2009, auto theft declined nationwide for the sixth consecutive year.
The NICB, headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., is a nonprofit organization funded by the insurance industry with a mission of preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through information analysis, investigations, training, legislative advocacy and public awareness.
Joe Wehrle, NICB president and chief executive officer said, “This is great news on the vehicle theft front. Six straight years of vehicle theft reductions are the result of a lot of hard work on the part of law enforcement, prosecutors, legislators, NICB member companies, NICB personnel and insurance industry trade groups who have contributed expertise and energy to have an impact on this crime.”
The slightly dropped number of auto thefts is a trend that helps keep insurance rates down, according to the Ohio Insurance Institute. Moreover, OII said, May 17, a decline of 6.7 percent from the pervious year happened in the Middletown-Cincinnati area. An estimation of 18 percent nationwide is the decrease of auto theft according to the institute.
Mary Bonelli, spokeswoman for the institute stated that the decline of the thefts is one of the factors that determine insurance rates.
Aside from having auto insurance that insures auto theft, a driver or car owner must have safety measures to avoid this crime to happen. The National Insurance Crime Bureau has a few tips to help prevent auto theft:
- Lock your car and take your keys.
- Have and use a visible or audible warning device. It can alert the thieves that you car is protected.
- Employ a “kill” switch, fuel cut-off and smart key.
- Install a tracking device that emits a signal to the police or to a monitoring station when the vehicle is stolen. Tracking devices are very effective in helping authorities recover stolen vehicles. Some systems employ “telematics” which combine GPS and wireless technologies to allow remote monitoring of a vehicle. If the vehicle is moved the system will alert the owner and the vehicle can be tracked via computer.
A strong warning, because of this trend some might feel to cancel or reduce their car insurance to lessen the mounting bills they have that is not a good idea. The financial institution still requires comprehensive auto insurance that specifically insures against theft. Still, auto insurance is necessary somehow it is a good news but better sure than think of a lesser bill for a short period of time.
