Holiday Vehicle Thefts Increase in 2018
The number of vehicles stolen on U.S. holidays increased less than 1% in 2018 with New Year's Day and Presidents' Day again leading the list of most risky days.
New Years' Day again ranks as the holiday with the most vehicle thefts.
Photo via Pixabay.
Thieves stole nearly 110 more vehicles on holidays around the U.S. in 2018 compared with 2017. Specifically, the nation experienced a total of 22,879 vehicle thefts on 11 holidays in 2018 as compared with 22,770 on the same holidays in 2017, according to National Insurance Crime Bureau data.
In 2018, the top two holidays for auto thefts were the same as in 2017, with New Year's Day and Presidents' Day seeing 2,571 and 2,380 vehicles stolen, respectively.
Other holidays that ranked among the top five for vehicle theft in 2018 include Halloween with 2,275 appropriated vehicles, Labor Day with 2,235, and Memorial Day with 2,167.
Thieves may have a soft spot for Christmas and Thanksgiving, which ranked as the two holidays with the least number of stolen vehicles for two consecutive years.
In 2018, there were 1,447 vehicle thefts on Christmas and 1,698 on Thanksgiving.
The NICB’s new report also explores which states experienced the most holiday auto thefts. Noteworthy, the top five states in 2018 are precisely the same states — in the same ranking order — as in 2017.
In 2018, California took the top spot for most holiday vehicle thefts with 4,797 — down significantly from the Golden State’s total of 5,142 thefts in 2017.
Texas ranked second with 2,144 stolen cars in 2018, followed by Florida with 1,322, Washington with 819, and Georgia with 778.
More Safety
The Safest Fleets Aren’t the Ones with the Most Technology
You’ve made the telematics investment. Here’s how to capture the other half of its value and build the safest fleet on the road.
Read More →
Hidden in Plain Sight: Fleet Compliance Risks
Fleet compliance isn't just about having policies — it's about consistently enforcing them. This practical guide reveals six hidden compliance risks common in public sector and shared fleet operations and outlines proven strategies to improve visibility, accountability, and audit readiness
Read More →
NETS Sets 2026 Fleet Safety Benchmark Conference for Indianapolis
The Sept. 15–17 program will feature fleet benchmarking data, case studies, emerging technologies, and implementation strategies while running alongside the NSC Safety Congress & Expo.
Read More →
Off-the-Job Crashes Account for 43% of Employers’ $61.7 Billion Crash Burden
NETS quantifies costs dispersed across fleet, risk, HR, and other departments while providing new per-crash benchmarks for employers.
Read More →
Ram Recalls More Than 1.27 Million 1500 Pickups for Seat Belt Anchor Issue
The recall affects certain 2019-2026 Ram 1500 pickups that may have improperly attached second-row seat belt buckle anchors.
Read More →
How Better Visibility Cut Speeding Violations by 48%
Fleet leaders don't need more data, they need clearer visibility into what the data is saying. This case study explores how one utility replaced speeding-event counts with a single metric — miles driven in violation — to strengthen safety and significantly reduce speeding violations.
Read More →
Operation Safe Driver Week: Why the Industry's Oldest Safety Campaign Still Matters to Fleets
A look at how a 2007 enforcement initiative became one of the most consequential weeks on the fleet safety calendar, and what it means for your drivers in 2026.
Read More →
Nexar-Nauto Merger Aims to Give Fleets Better Safety Intelligence Through Larger Driving Dataset
Stefan Heck tells Automotive Fleet that combining more than 10 billion miles of driving history with Nexar's AI models will give fleets deeper insights into driver risk and roadway conditions than either company could provide independently.
Read More →
From Silos to Solutions: Relationship Management for Safer Fleets
From telematics adoption and driver accountability to policy consistency and risk mitigation, this episode breaks down what it really takes to build a safer fleet culture without slowing business down.
Read More →
IIHS Launches First Commercial Vehicle Safety Evaluations
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has begun evaluating heavy-duty pickups and cargo vans for driver protection. Which models earned top marks?
Read More →