Vehicle-Related Theft
Major Legislations and Rulemaking Actions
Theft Prevention Publications and Information
- NHTSA Vehicle Theft Prevention Fact Sheet Insurance and rental/leasing companies are vital partners with consumers and law enforcement in reducing the number of vehicle thefts every year and decreasing overall losses from vehicle theft. Each year, NHTSA collects and analyzes data from these companies on their efforts to prevent and discourage vehicle theft. This fact sheet summarizes NHTSA’s key insights from the most recent reports and arms companies, citizens and law enforcement with the information they need to educate people in their communities and to promote vehicle theft prevention. Read the full report here.
- Final Listing of 2013 High Theft Truck and Exempted Vehicle Lines
- Final Listing of 2012 High Theft Truck and Exempted Vehicle Lines
Vehicle Theft Database
The agency is required by 49 U.S.C. 33104(b)(4) to periodically obtain and publish accurate and reliable theft data. The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation provides this data to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The NCIC is a governmental system that receives vehicle theft data from approximately 23,000 criminal justice agencies and other law enforcement authorities throughout the United States. This national data includes the reported thefts of self-insured and uninsured vehicles, not all of which are reported to other data sources.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is also the agency responsible for establishing the median theft rate for passenger motor vehicles (cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles and light trucks - 6,000 pounds or less gross vehicle weight rating). For MYs 1983 through 1989, the established median was 3.2712 thefts per 1,000 vehicles produced. For MY's 1990 through the present year, the established median has been 3.5826 thefts per 1,000 vehicles produced. The theft data show that those model year vehicles whose theft rates exceeded the established median during a given calendar year had a higher theft rate experience for the number of model year vehicles produced in the same calendar year.