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Protect Your Car From Theft | Boynton & Boynton Insurance in NJ, PA, & NY.
All the auto theft-prevention devices in the world won’t save your car if you leave your keys inside. As obvious as this may seem, many Americans are learning this the hard way.

According to a study issued by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), U.S. car thefts with keys left inside the car jumped 14% from 2012 to 2014, reaching 44,828 last year. Experts estimate that the actual number is most likely higher due to the number of people who are to embarrassed to admit their negligence to police or their insurer.

“Stealing a vehicle is very difficult with today’s anti- theft technology and leaving the keys in the vehicle is an invitation for the opportunistic car thief.”
-NICB Chief Executive Officer, Joe Wehrle

Criminals are otherwise having a harder time stealing cars because of devices like smart keys and fuel pump disablers which are designed to prevent hot wiring cars. According to the FBI, about 660,000 cars were stolen in the U.S. last year. That amounts to an 8.5% decline since 2012.

The NICB always advises drivers to stay with their cars when giving them time to warm up on cold winter days, and bring the keys along even on short trips to places like convenience stores.

The top five states that posted the most vehicle thefts with keys during this reporting period were California (19,597), Texas (8,796), Florida (7,868), Michigan (7,726), and Ohio (7,452). The top five core-based statistical areas (CBSA) were Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV (6,185), Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI (4,882), Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA (3,234), Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD (3,141) and New York-Newark-Jersey City (2,917).

Looking at day-of-week data, Saturday saw the most thefts with keys (19,147) followed by Friday (18,719) and Monday (18,647).

If you have any questions about auto insurance coverage, our experts are ready to help you.

Sources: propertycasualty360.com “Criminals get 44,828 free rides as drivers leave keys in cars” | nicb.org “Leave Your Keys, Lose Your Car” |

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