Study: New Years Day Busiest Holiday for Car Thieves
DES PLAINES, IL --- New Year's Day was the leading holiday for reported vehicle thefts in 2008, according to an analysis issued recently by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). Among holidays, your vehicle was safest on New Year's Eve and Christmas Day.
DES PLAINES, IL --- New Year's Day was the leading holiday for reported vehicle thefts in 2008, according to an analysis issued recently by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). Among holidays, your vehicle was safest on New Year's Eve and Christmas Day.
Nationally, vehicle thefts have been on a steady decline for several years in a row, to less than 1 million a year in 2008. But the thieves are still busy, stealing an average of 2,650 vehicles every day in the U.S., or one every 33 seconds.
"We know that thieves never miss an opportunity to make a quick buck by stealing a car," said Joe Wehrle, president and CEO of NICB. "They work weekends, nights and holidays and ironically, they are particularly busy on New Year's Day and Labor Day."
The holidays ranked by number of thefts reported to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) in 2008 were:
New Year's Day | 3,017 |
Labor Day | 2,847 |
Halloween | 2,727 |
President's Day | 2,683 |
Memorial Day | 2,599 |
Independence Day | 2,584 |
Valentine's Day | 2,389 |
Christmas Eve | 1,841 |
Thanksgiving | 1,806 |
Christmas Day | 1,267 |
New Year's Eve | 916 |
More Safety
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 →
Don't Wait for a Crisis: 5 Ways to Build Mental Health Into Your Fleet Safety Program
For Suicide Prevention Month, fleet and safety leaders have an opportunity to put mental health where it belongs: at the center of workplace safety.
Read More →
How Camera Data Can Strengthen a Fleet’s Insurance Renewal
Insights from a commercial insurance carrier and a broker show how fleets can turn video telematic data, driver coaching, and improved claims results into a stronger case at insurance renewal.
Read More →
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 →