The National Insurance Crime Bureau today reported that in 2011,
motorcycle thefts were down 6 percent from their 2010 total. There were
46,667 motorcycles reported stolen in 2011 compared with 49,791 in
2010—a decline of 6 percent. The theft rate averages out to one theft
every 11 minutes. All data is from theft reports contained in the
National Crime Information Center.
The top five makes stolen last year were: (1) Honda, 11,014; (2) Yamaha, 8,880; (3) Suzuki, 7,281; (4) Kawasaki, 5,009; and (5) Harley-Davidson, 3,120. Combined, these five brands accounted for 35,304 thefts in 2011, or 75.6 percent of the total.
For 2011, the top five states with the most motorcycle thefts were: (1) California, 5,927; (2) Texas, 3,950; (3) Florida, 3,927; (4) North Carolina, 2,466; and (5) Indiana, 2,114. These five states accounted for 18,384 thefts, or 39.3 percent of the total.
Of some significance is the fact that thefts were down in 2011
while motorcycle sales increased slightly from 2010. According to the
Motorcycle Industry Council, motorcycle sales increased in 2011 to
440,899 units
—
up 0.3 percent from 2010's sales figure of 439,678 units.
As expected, the warm months of July and August logged the most
thefts in 2011 at 5,544 and 5,397, respectively. On the other end of the
scale, the cooler months of February and December saw the fewest thefts
with 2,147 and 2,475, respectively.
While the most active day for thefts was Monday with 6,962, there
was a relatively even spread across the week with the least active day,
Sunday, posting 6,422 thefts.
About the National Insurance Crime Bureau:
Headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill.,
the NICB is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization
exclusively dedicated to preventing, detecting and defeating insurance
fraud and vehicle theft through data analytics, investigations,
training, legislative advocacy and public awareness. The NICB is
supported by more than 1,100 property and casualty insurance companies
and self-insured organizations. NICB member companies wrote over $339 billion
in insurance premiums in 2011, or approximately 80 percent of the
nation's property/casualty insurance. That includes more than 94 percent
($156 billion) of the nation's personal auto insurance.
To learn more visit
www.nicb.org
.
SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau
