We’re No. 1! Oh, but wait, that in pickup truck thefts… I don’t think Gov. Rick Perry will be using this fact as a presidential campaign slogan. When you think of pickup trucks you think of Texas and rugged men and women roaming the range with gun racks ready for battle and hay bales in the truck bed. Well, thieves like that image too.
In a new report released today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), pickup trucks are a popular choice for not only consumers, but they have become a favorite target by vehicle thieves. Between Jan. 1, 2010 and Dec. 31, 2013, 9,441 pickup trucks were reported stolen. Full-sized pickup trucks had more thefts with 8,367 thefts versus 895 for compact pickups. Mid-sized pickup trucks had the fewest thefts with 179. The report looks at theft data only for model years 2011, 2012, and 2013 pickups stolen between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2013. The classes of pickups are compact, mid-size and full size as described in Automotive News’ Data Center.
Of the 9,441 total pickup thefts, 4,428 are of the 2011 model year, 3,235 are of the 2012 model year, and 1,778 are of the 2013 model year. And where did most of those thefts occur – right here in Texas. The Lone Star State experienced the highest number of pickup thefts with 2,130—representing nearly 23 percent of all pickup truck thefts in the U.S. California came in second with 1,676 thefts, followed by Florida with 522. The top theft Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA) was Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA with 455 thefts, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, with 322 thefts, and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, with 274 thefts.