NICB Releases Annual Holiday Vehicle Theft Report

DES PLAINES, IL -- November 24, 2015: Holiday car thieves had their busiest day in 2014 on, ironically, Labor Day, stealing 2,200 vehicles according to new data released today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).  NICB's 2014 Annual Holiday Vehicle Theft Report analyzes data from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which showed a total of 695,246 vehicle thefts for the year. 

After Labor Day, New Year's Day was the next most active holiday with 2,011 thefts. Halloween came in third with 2,010 thefts followed by Memorial Day with 1,933 thefts. Independence Day rounds out the top five holidays for 2014 with 1,877 thefts. 

The holidays with the fewest thefts in 2014 were Christmas Day with 1,225 thefts and Thanksgiving with 1,384 thefts.  

Holidays ranked by the number of thefts in 2014 were:

1. Labor Day (2,200)
2. New Year's Day (2,011)
3. Halloween (2,010)
4. Memorial Day (1,933)
5. Independence Day (1,877)
6. New Year's Eve (1,858)
7. Valentine's Day (1,750)
8. Christmas Eve (1,750) (tie)
9. President's Day (1,695)
10. Thanksgiving (1,384)
11. Christmas Day (1,225)

By comparison, the day with the most thefts in all of 2014 was July 7 with 2,361. 

NICB reminds drivers this holiday season when leaving your vehicle for whatever reason to take a moment and be sure to hide your valuables from view. Even an empty backpack looks appealing to a thief from the outside.

See the full holiday vehicle theft report here. Watch a video report here.

Anyone with information concerning insurance fraud or vehicle theft can report it anonymously by calling toll-free 800-TEL-NICB (800-835-6422), texting keyword "fraud" to TIP411 (847411) or submitting a form on our website. Or, download the NICB Fraud Tips app on your iPhone or Android device.

About the National Insurance Crime Bureau: Headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through data analytics, investigations, training, legislative advocacy and public awareness. The NICB is supported by more than 1,100 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote over $395 billion in insurance premiums in 2014, or more than 78 percent of the nation's property/casualty insurance. That includes more than 93 percent ($176 billion) of the nation's personal auto insurance. To learn more visit nicb.org.