
Yeah Washington, we’re #2…. for car theft.
I don't know about you, but my car insurance rates continue to go up. Insurance companies are making claims like it's more expensive to fix your car now if you get in a wreck, and car theft is on the increase, especially in Washington state.
According to the FBI, there were over 1,000,000 car thefts in the United States just in 2023. (We don't have 2024 numbers yet.) Between the years 2019 and 2023 car theft in the USA has increased by 42.2%.
The sad part of this story, at least as far as I'm concerned, is Washington State ranks high on the list of the top ten states with the most car thefts. All the figures that I'm going to present to you are based on the number of car thefts per 100,000 residents. The number one state with the most car thefts is Colorado. 785.7motor vehicle thefts per100,000.
The problem is so serious in the state of Colorado that they've actually changed their laws to define new levels of punishment for car theft.
Congratulations to Washington state. It comes in at #2 with 639.3 motor vehicle thefts per 100,00. That by the way is the highest increase in auto theft in Washington state history in the last 10 years.
Now for another perspective, how about the state with the highest increase in car theft? Vermont winds up taking the top of that list, even though the amount of car theft they have is minuscule. They are #1 when it comes to the highest increase in auto theft jumping from 43.2 cars per 100,000 in 2018. to 93.5 cars per 100,000 in 2022. That's a 121 percent increase, the largest in the United States.
Over the years I've been very lucky, I have not had my car stolen.
OK, I will admit that for many years my car hasn't been worth stealing.
There were a few times I wished it would be stolen, but not lately.
I hope that that continues.
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