USA: Motorcycle Thefts Down 24% For 2010 |
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File under Statistics
Author: Mike Werner
Location: Normandy, France
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Good news for motorcycle owners in the USA, and for the insurance companies. According to the NICB  (National Insurance Crime Bureau), motorcycle thefts in 2010 have decreased some 24% in relation with the figures of 2007.
In 2007, 65,678 motorcycles were stolen, while in 2010, "only" 49,791 were nicked. Compared to 2009 there was a decrease (11% for 56,093 stolen bikes), but not as big as 2007.
Part of the decline in thefts is attributed to a decline in motorcycles sales. In 2009, 520,502 motorcycles were sold, while in 2010 only 439,678 left the dealers.
The busiest months for motorcycle thieves are June, July and August. The top 3 states for the number of motorcycles stolen are California, Texas and Florida. The best ones are Wyoming, South and North Dakota.
The top brands that were stolen: (1) Honda, 12,260; (2) Yamaha, 9,853; (3) Suzuki, 7,869; (4) Kawasaki, 5,470; and (5) Harley-Davidson, 3,301.
Recovering Stolen Motorcycles
34% of stolen motorcycles got recovered within a year and 1/2. Their statistics record recovery for a period of 18 months after it was stolen. If the bike was found 2 years later, it'll not appear in the stats.
Conclusion
On one hand it's good that less motorcycles are stolen. Ultimately you should see less insurance premiums. New technology makes stealing bikes more difficult. Or at least starting them after they have been nicked. On the other hand, it's not really the new technologies, or better police work, but a decline in sales, and therefore less interest in bikes by thieves.
What would be interesting to see is the age of stolen motorcycles. Just the brand doesn't mean much. Are they stealing brand new motorcycles, or ones that can be more easily stolen?
Click here to read the full NICB Report (pdf file)
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