Car Thieves Add Fright to Halloween Night
In addition to costumes and candy collecting, All Hallows Eve is well known as a night for causing mischief — but it’s not just egging houses and toilet-papering trees. Among the major U.S. holidays, Halloween is second only to New Year’s Day for car thefts.
Related: Halloween Safety Is No Trick
According to the crime-stats crunchers at the Des Plaines, Ill.-based National Insurance Crime Bureau, about 2,000 vehicles were stolen on Halloween in 2013. That’s roughly 200 fewer than New Year’s Day, but slightly more than Memorial Day, Labor Day and President’s Day, which rounded out the top five. Christmas typically sees the fewest stolen cars, which in 2013 was about 1,200 — the lowest number not just among holidays but any day the whole year. The most thefts that year occurred on Aug. 12, when 2,316 cars went missing.
NICB reminds motorists to take caution as we get into the holiday season, a busy time for shoppers and thieves alike.
“Aside from vehicle thefts, vehicle burglaries also increase in activity,” NICB said in a statement. “Drivers should make sure they park in well-lit areas and keep packages in the trunk. Leave nothing visible in the interior and, as always, ensure your vehicle is locked before leaving it.”
