Auto Thefts Decline in Ohio

Posted & filed under Insurance Briefs, Ohio Car Insurance.

According to a report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), auto thefts in the state of Ohio were down last year in 15 of the state’s 16 largest metro areas.

Data from the Ohio Insurance Institute says that in 2009, Cleveland had the states highest auto theft rate, with 313 of every 100,000 vehicles reported stolen. This made Cleveland’s car theft rate the 72nd highest among major metropolitan areas in the United States, down ten places from the city’s 2008 rank of 62nd. Between 2008 and 2009, the Cleveland area had a 21 percent reduction in actual thefts.

Another major Ohio city, state capitol Columbus, ranks 93rd in the nation, and also has the second highest auto theft rate in the state. Cleveland is followed by Toledo (99th on the national list). the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman area (136th nationally) and Dayton (144th) rounded out the state’s top five, and all those cities also experienced a decline in auto thefts between 2008 and 2009.

Of the 16 major metro areas in Ohio, only Marietta did NOT see fewer auto thefts.

The NICB says auto thefts declined nationwide in 2009 for the sixth year in a row.