COLORADO SPRINGS — Car thefts are a reality most Americans hope to never encounter. Unfortunately, for residents in Colorado, there may be reason to worry -- Colorado has the 9th highest vehicle theft rate in the country.
The agency known as Car Insurance Comparison, analyzed the latest data from the Federal Highway Administration, and theNational Insurance Crime Bureau to understand how car thefts have changed across the country and identify the states seeing the highest car theft rates. Here's a quick look at what they found:
- Colorado is 9th among states with the highest vehicle theft rates. Colorado sees an average of 359 stolen cars per 100,000 residents.
- The total number of vehicles stolen over a three year period? 91,719.
- Vehicle thefts have increased by 72% in Colorado -- 63% higher than the nationwide average.
Car theft often feels like a violation, and even worse, may impact your pocketbook to the tune of thousands of dollars. Experts say when car thefts happen, you've got to know your policy.
"I would say be proactive. When you get your insurance policy make sure you know what is covered and what isn't covered," said Nelson Garcia, Public Relations Specialist for Car Insurance Comparison. "Things happen and then you end up surprised because you assumed it was automatically covered, when it wasn't."
Colorado has very steep penalties for car theft crimes. Vehicle robbery charges can land a person in jail for up to three years.
For more on this study, click here.
