Louisiana Thieves Stealing These Certain Cars and Trucks Most Often
When our lives changed so drastically in 2020 with the start of the pandemic, the National Insurance Crime Bureau says the number of thefts of all automobiles has gone up and for Louisiana, thieves are stealing certain kinds of cars and trucks.
In data released for the previous year, the number one stolen vehicle was a truck, but now it's a sedan that has taken over the number one spot.
Also interesting is the percentage increase of how much more auto theft there is now in Louisiana versus the prior year. In information the NCIB released last month, it showed auto theft rose 10% in Louisiana between 2022-2023, the latest year the statistics that they have.
Louisiana is tied with North Carolina and Tennessee for the state with the 10th highest rate increase in vehicles being stolen.
During the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and the subsequent years that have followed, social media trends showing the flaws in the designs of certain makes and models of vehicles have led to those vehicles being targeted for theft the most.
You can click here to see our prior coverage of the story. You can click here to find out more about insurance issues with some makes and models of Kia and Hyundai vehicles.
Don't think we are showing you videos that help criminals know how to do these crimes because they have been seen millions of times on a variety of social media platforms already. The criminals already know what they're doing.
And interestingly enough, is that some members of the "Kia Boys" have gone to jail. There was a documentary being filmed about the group.
What Vehicles Are Being Stolen the Most?
The chart shows that two Kia models and two Hyundai models are in the top five with the Chevy Silverado being the fourth most stolen vehicle.
Rounding out the top ten are:
#6 Honda Accord with 20,895 vehicles stolen
#7 Honda Civic with 18,858 vehicles stolen
#8 Kia Forte with 16,209 vehicles stolen
#9 Ford F-150 Series Pickup trucks stolen
#10 Kia Sportage with 15,749 vehicles stolen
It's a pretty rough-looking top-ten list for both Kia and Hyundai. If you own any of these makes and models, then officials with the car companies do have anti-theft devices that can be installed to fix the issue. You should contact your dealer.
No one wants their vehicle stolen, but these car owners just become more susceptible to what car thieves are looking for to steal.
The NCIB suggests some things that are obvious that you can do to hopefully avoid theft of your vehicle:
Make sure you park in well-lit areas
Never leave your car running and walk away
Never leave your keys anywhere in your car
Remove anything valuable from your vehicle so nothing entices a thief
If it's any consolation, their statistics show that almost 50% of cars stolen are found within 48 hours of being stolen.