With Thanksgiving in the rearview and Christmas steadily approaching, 2017 is coming to a close.
While the holiday season approaches and the year winds down, it's crucial to remember that thieves are particularly active during the holidays. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), a total of 22,705 vehicles were reported stolen on the 11 holidays covered in their 2016 report. The data is pulled from the National Crime Information Center's stolen vehicle file, which showed a total of 803,719 vehicle thefts for the year.
Many of the thefts occurred in large states. California was the number one state with the most holiday vehicle thefts in 2016 with 5,285. It was followed, in descending order, by Texas (2,121); Florida (1,397); Washington (889) and Georgia (763).
While many feel the spirit of giving during the holidays, car thieves are in the business of taking. Keep reading to see which holidays rank as the biggest threat to your car's safety.
Related: Technology in cars is changing the market and how we drive
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11. Christmas Day
Vehicle thefts: 1,664
Related: 6 winter weather hazards and the states with the most claims
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10. Thanksgiving
Vehicle thefts: 1,777
Related: Most Americans in 12 years to travel for Thanksgiving, AAA says
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9. Valentine's Day
Vehicle thefts: 1,789
Related: 4 ways to safeguard your clients' Valentine's Day jewelry purchases
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8. President's Day
Vehicle thefts: 2,008
Related: America's 10 most stolen vehicles
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7. Christmas Eve
Vehicle thefts: 2,054
Related: A motorcycle is stolen somewhere in the U.S. every 11 minutes
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6. Independence Day
Vehicle thefts: 2,086
Related: Dude, where's my car? How not to get your ride stolen
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5. New Year's Eve
Vehicle thefts: 2,110
Related: Identity theft takes the sparkle off of the holiday shopping season says new study
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4. Memorial Day
Vehicle thefts: 2,139
Related: Memorial Day kicks off the most dangerous season of the year on the road
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3. New Year's Day
Vehicle thefts: 2,242
Related: 15 best cars and crossovers for snow in 2017
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2. Labor Day
Vehicle thefts: 2,258
Related: Oh, deer! What drivers should know about animal collisions
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1. Halloween
Vehicle thefts: 2,578
Related: 10 U.S. cities with spookiest and most stressful commutes
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Denny Jacob
Denny Jacob is an associate editor for NU PropertyCasualty360. Contact him at [email protected].
