Amid last year's surge in questionable staged-accident claims and bleak economic reports comes a sunny spot -- a lower incidence of auto theft. In the most recent iteration of its "Hot Spots" report, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) found that 2009 marked the nation's sixth consecutive year of waning vehicle thefts.

The NICB report examines vehicle theft data obtained from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) for each of the nation's metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). Designated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), MSAs often include areas much larger than the cities for which they are named. For example, the Laredo, Texas MSA includes all thefts within the entire county of Webb in addition to the city of Laredo.

Eighty-three percent of U.S. MSAs (304 of 366) pointed to fewer thefts compared to that of 2008. Data collected by the FBI in its preliminary 2009 semi-annual crime report suggests that trend will continue. In the crime report, which was published last December, the agency predicted that vehicle theft may drop by as much as 18 percent from 2008's numbers once the final figures are tabulated in the fall.