- 2018 data from the national insurance crime bureau tells us that halloween is the third most likely holiday to have your vehicle stolen, with 2275 car thefts in the united states on halloween last year.
- in first place is new year's day, and presidents' day is second on the list of biggest holidays for car theft.
- the top state for holiday vehicle thefts last year was california.
most trick-or-treaters come for the candy on halloween, but some visitors to your driveway might actually want your car.
according to the latest report from the national insurance crime bureau, a nonprofit group of insurance companies that tracks vehicle thefts reported to police, more cars are stolen on halloween than many other u.s. holidays and special days. in 2018, the most recent data available, thieves stole 2275 cars on october 31, compared to the 2199 vehicles stolen on average each day that year. by comparison, thieves tended to be quietest on christmas (1447 cars), followed by thanksgiving (1698), christmas eve (1912), and valentine's day (2001). they were much more in evidence on independence day (2071), and new year's eve (2122). memorial day and labor day were worse, at 2167 and 2235 thefts respectively. nothing topped new year's day, at 2571 thefts—not even halloween—although the number two, presidents' day, wasn't far behind at 2380.
it comes as no surprise, considering its dense population of people and registered cars, that california was the number-one state for all holiday car thefts. it was followed by texas, florida, washington state, and georgia. typically, thefts overall rise and fall with the seasons, with 2018's lowest monthly average of car thefts coming in december (2038) and its peak in july (2314). yearly thefts totaled 802,605, a 1 percent drop from 2017, according to the nicb. that's still 5 percent higher than in 2016 and 13 percent higher than 2015.
among all vehicles stolen in 2017, the latest per-model data available, it's likelier that thieves will successfully nab a 20-year-old honda civic than a brand-new audi r8. the civic was 2017's most stolen car, with 45,062 reported thefts—6707 of which were for the most frequently stolen model year, the 1998 civic—followed by the accord with 43,764 stolen (the 1997 model was most popular among thieves, with 6301 taken). however, new and late-model toyota camry, toyota corolla, nissan altima, and gmc sierra models were all among the top 10 stolen vehicles that year. the nicb said that many thefts—especially those of new cars—occur because people leave their cars unlocked with the keys inside. even kids in costumes have to work harder for their loot.