Connecticut Continues to Rank Low in Vehicle Thefts

Recent articles about car thefts in Connecticut may seem alarming, and vehicle owners should always take steps to protect their important possessions. However, while the takeaways are important to consider, there’s more to the issue at hand – and the Nutmeg State far better than it may seem from all the noise.

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, vehicle thefts increased about 1% nationwide from 2022 to 2023, with vehicle theft rates rising steadily over the last half-decade. These statistics, released in April, showed that Connecticut saw the third-highest increase in thefts from 2022 to 2023, up 33% in that time.

With a noticeable increase, Connecticut must be high on the national list of thefts experienced, right? Not quite. When sorted by theft rate, the Nutmeg State doesn’t reach the top 10 – or even the top 20. Connecticut is 34^th nationally, below the national average by a significant amount. Vehicle theft doesn’t discriminate, with Colorado, Nevada, the District of Columbia, Missouri and Texas all in the top 10.

So if Connecticut isn’t high when it comes to overall theft, why is it so high in the metrics? That’s because starting with a lower number causes any increases to be more noticeable. In Connecticut, 2022 saw just under 7,100 vehicles stolen; in 2023, that indicates about 9,400 vehicles were stolen when considering the growth in rating. That’s a mere fraction of theft rates seen in other states, including Washington, Illinois, Ohio and Georgia, all of which saw total theft numbers at least three times higher than Connecticut.

Vehicle theft is a national problem, one made worse by the NICB’s report on theft trends in May of this year. Due to social media trends informing many people of a design flaw with Kia and Hyundai vehicles, which can allow a potential thief easy access to bypass their security systems, a number of cars and trucks are at increased risk of theft. Hyundai and Kia models represented six of the top ten stolen vehicles in the United States in 2023, with those six models alone representing 17% of all stolen cars in the country.

Thieves are stealing cars in Connecticut, but they’re stealing cars nationwide. This isn’t an issue unique to our state; in fact, we’re better protected from its worst impacts, seeing lower rates of theft than more than half the country. What’s more, more than 85% of stolen vehicles are recovered by police or owners, with one-third of all auto thefts recovered within one day of their initial theft. This is a serious issue, one with victims who are right to feel violated or frustrated by the challenges this can cause; it’s also a national issue, and one that can be countered.

Protect your vehicle by locking it and keeping it secure, hiding valuables out of sight and not leaving keys in vehicles or leaving vehicles running unattended. If your vehicle is stolen, call your insurer and police immediately; the sooner you report theft, the higher the odds of recovery grow.

Posted by Joe O’Leary