FOR RELEASE:  April 16, 1999
FOR MORE INFORMATION:  Mary Bonelli/Mitch Wilson: (614)228-1593

STATEWIDE AUTO THEFTS CONTINUE DOWNWARD TREND

COLUMBUS–Cleveland has been ousted as the city with the highest number of reported vehicle thefts in Ohio. That baton was passed to Columbus, which reported 7,343 auto thefts in 1998 compared to Cleveland’s 7,175. This is the first time Cleveland lost its standing as the Buckeye state’s leader in reported vehicle thefts since the Ohio Insurance Institute (OII) began conducting its annual major metro area auto theft survey. But Clevelanders still need to be on the defense. Although it continues to be the only surveyed city to have experienced a decline in auto theft activity continually since 1990, it continues to have the worst theft-to-registered vehicles ratio. Vehicle owners there have a one in 44 chance of becoming an auto theft statistic.

According to the findings of the recent OII survey, the overall auto theft picture in Ohio continues its downward trend that started seven years ago. This is good news for vehicle owners who now have a 1 in 252 chance of being a victim in auto theft, based on 1998 statistics. The study is based on a survey of 17 major Ohio city police departments regarding their 1998 auto theft experience. Survey results indicate there was a slight drop (0.4%) in the number of statewide vehicle thefts between 1997 and 1998.

"The decline in statewide auto thefts began in 1992," said Daniel J. Kelso, OII president. "This seems to mirror the national auto theft trend that has been on the decline for the past six years."

The OII estimates that there were 45,249 auto thefts in the Buckeye state last year, down from the 1997 FBI Uniform Crime Report figure of 45,419. The statewide estimate is computed by determining the change in auto theft experience among the reporting police departments between 1997 and 1998. This percentage change is then applied to the statewide 1997 auto theft figure to develop the 1998 estimate.

"Although the number of thefts continue to decline, what we are seeing is an increase in the value of the vehicles reported stolen," noted Kelso. "As the cost of new cars increase, so does the cost of auto theft."

The value of unrecovered vehicles in 1998 exceeded $80 million, according to OII estimates, about the same as 1997’s figure. The average value per vehicle stolen in 1997 was $5,416, up 0.8% from 1996.

According to figures supplied by the police departments to the Institute, six cities reported decreases ranging from 1.6% to a dramatic 59.2%. Of the cities reporting auto theft decreases between 1997 and 1998, Lorain showed the greatest percentage decrease, going down from 174 to 71, for a 59.2% decrease. Three other cities reported decreases in auto theft exceeding 20% from the previous year, including Akron, Canton and Warren.

1998 survey results also follow the national trends that show that auto theft rates are highest in urban cities. However, some of Ohio’s smaller cities have been experiencing higher percentages of auto theft increases than their urban counterparts.

"Lima, Hamilton, Mansfield, Toledo and Elyria all experienced double-digit increases in theft between 1997 and 1998," Kelso said. "And 11 of the 17 surveyed cities showed some degree of auto theft increase."

A comparison of 1998 thefts to vehicle registrations, according to OII estimates, indicates one vehicle stolen for every 252 registered vehicles in the state (information by city), which is an improvement from the 1997 ratio of one theft for every 247 vehicles. 1996 figures reflected one theft for every 242 registered vehicles.

Lima showed the greatest percentage increase in thefts between 1997 and 1998, with a 42% increase. This is in direct contrast to its standing in last year’s OII survey, where it reported over a 15% decrease between 1996 and 1997.

Lorain’s vehicle theft ratio fared best among the surveyed cities. In 1998, only one theft occurred for every 830 of the city’s registered vehicles.

"There are ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies, car manufacturers and the insurance industry to reduce auto theft," explained Kelso. "In addition, consumers are all too aware of the cost of auto theft and are taking antitheft measures to prevent becoming a statistic."

Consumers will spend about $360 million this year to protect vehicles from theft according to the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association, compared to $161 million five years ago.

The Ohio Insurance Institute is a public information and trade association representing insurance companies and agent groups for the property/casualty insurance industry. A primary objective of the OII is to help Ohioans achieve a better understanding of insurance and related safety issues.

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Key facts

	Every 23 seconds a motor vehicle is stolen in the U.S., according to FBI Uniform Crime Reports.
	The odds of a vehicle being stolen in the U.S. is 1 for every 153 registered vehicles (FBI Uniform Crime Reports) in 1997. Ohio’s estimated ratio for 1998 is 1 for every 252 vehicles (1 for every 247 in 1997).
	Car thief apprehension is relatively low, only 14% of 1997 thefts were cleared by arrests.
	At least 11 states require insurers to give car owners discounts on their comprehensive insurance for passive antitheft devices, such as ignition cut-off switches and some types of alarms that are automatically activated when the car is locked, not requiring driver activation.
	Insurer discounts range from 5% off the comprehensive portion of the auto insurance premium for devices that are driver-activated, up to 35% for an automatically activated device, and 10–25% for coded ignition keys.
	According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), it’s estimated that 84% of the autos stolen in 1970 were recovered. In 1997, only 60% of the vehicles were returned, and only 18% were drivable.
	According to the annual CCC Information Services survey, American car thieves prefer imports. The most frequently stolen vehicles in terms of the number of cars for each particular model year are the 1989-90 Toyota Camry’s (1st, 2nd, 3rd) while the next two spots went to the 1994 and 1990 Honda Accords.
	The NICB reports that the top 10 stolen cars in Ohio in 1997 were domestics with the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme/Ciera, Buick Century and Oldsmobile Delta 88 holding the top three spots. Its study ranks the vehicles most often stolen regardless of model year.

1996–1998 OHIO MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS
By Selected Cities

Sources:
* – 1996 & 1997 FBI Uniform Crime Reports; 1998 numbers supplied from OII survey of city police departments.
# – Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles
** – Cities not listed in FBI Uniform Crime Reports – These numbers supplied by city police departments.
@ – OII estimate based on figures supplied from OII survey of city police departments.
## – Computation of loss figures: FBI Uniform Crime Reports estimated 67% of the autos stolen in 1997 were recovered, which means 33% of vehicles stolen were not recovered. The FBI also estimated that the unrecovered stolen autos had an average value of $5,416. To obtain the "Direct Losses–Value of Unrecovered Vehicles" estimates, 33% of the number of 1998 motor vehicle thefts for a given city was multiplied by the average dollar amount ($5,416). These computations do not take into consideration costs associated with damage to the stolen but recovered vehicles, law enforcement, court administration, injuries, or damage to other property.

04/16/1999