Halloween is a car thief’s treat, but 2 holidays have spooky season beat
It’s time for scary movies, thematic parties, and trick-or-treating. Yep, it’s spooky season and it yields some understandably scary stuff. However, you likely don’t expect Halloween to be a favorite holiday for a car thief. Still, despite the holiday’s popularity among thieves, two holidays have the scary movie season beat. Don’t fret, though. You can stay ahead of the car-focused crime with a few smart maneuvers.
New Year’s Day and President’s Day have Halloween beat for car thefts, according to the NICB
The National Insurance Crime Bureau, or NICB, compiled annual data regarding car thefts during major holidays. Unfortunately for those looking forward to Halloween festivities, Halloween ranked No. 3 out of the major holidays in 2018 for car thefts, narrowly beating out Labor Day.
While 2018 might seem like an eternity ago for some, car theft figures overall have increased since then. The NICB, using data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) asserts that thieves stole about 748,841 vehicles in 2018. Unfortunately, thieves stole an additional 271,885 in 2023 over the 2018 value. As such, drivers should be especially mindful of car theft this Halloween.
While Halloween took a top spot among car theft holidays in 2018, it didn’t snag the top spot. New Year’s Day took the top spot with 2,571 reported car thefts. Further, the first day of the year topped the No. 2 spot, President’s Day, by about 191 thefts.
| Holiday | Car thefts (2018) |
|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | 2,571 |
| President’s Day | 2,380 |
| Halloween | 2,275 |
| Labor Day | 2,235 |
| Memorial Day | 2,167 |
Stay ahead of car thefts with smart moves, like securing valuables and not leaving your car somewhere for too long
Fortunately, criminals are often opportunists. That means “hardening” your vehicle against theft is a prudent move. Consider the following to avoid finding an empty spot where your prized ride once resided.
- Lock your doors, roll up your windows
- Park in a well-lit area
- If you leave your vehicle somewhere, don’t leave it for long
- Use an alarm or aftermarket warning device
- Consider using a GPS-enabled tracker
