The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is observing Vehicle Theft Prevention Month this July by calling attention to vehicle theft as a nationwide issue and urging vehicle owners to take preventive steps to keep their vehicles safe.
Vehicle theft is a multi-billion-dollar industry in the United States, disrupting millions of vehicle owners’ lives, stripping them of their security and mobility, and costing them more than $8 billion annually. In 2024, 850,708 vehicles were stolen — representing a 17% decrease in vehicle theft totals from the previous year. Estimates show that approximately one vehicle is stolen every 31 seconds.
In 2024, these states had the most vehicle thefts, as provided by the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
1. California
2. Texas
3. Florida
4. Illinois
5. Washington
6. New York
7. Colorado
8. North Carolina
9. Ohio
10. Missouri
Passenger cars make up most of the stolen vehicles, and summer months have the highest reported occurrences of vehicle thefts in the United States. NHTSA urges vehicle owners to take these steps to keep their vehicles — and any valuables inside them — safe all the time.
- Park in well-lit areas.
- Close and lock all windows and doors when parked.
- Hide valuables.
- Do not leave keys in the vehicle.
- Do not leave the area while vehicle is running.
- Consider purchasing extra layers of protection for a vehicle if the vehicle’s manufacturer does not provide an anti-theft system. These can easily be purchased online or in a store.
For more information on motor vehicle theft prevention, visit
www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/vehicle-theft-prevention. For additional resources, visit
NICB.org.