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Most Stolen Cars of 2009

Having been a year which will go down in history as perhaps the most troubled one ever for the automotive industry, 2009 has remained a year when car thieves chose to remain consistent. Feeling sorry for the {Ad}industry's struggles, thieves chose in 2009 to steal pretty much the same cars as they did in previous years in the US, cars which are, in their majority, pre-2000 models.

According to the report filed by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the most stolen car last year remained the 1994 Honda Accord, the car of choice for car thieves in 2008 as well. In fact, for some reason, the Japanese brand remains the leader in this unwanted top, with the 1995 Honda Civic coming in second.

The top five of the most stolen cars of 2009 continues with the 1991 Toyota Camry, 1997 Ford F-150 and 2004 Dodge Ram. The 2000 Dodge Caravan and 1994 Chevrolet Pickup come in sixth and seventh, respectively. They are followed by the 1994 Acura Integra and 2002 Ford Explorer. The single new car in this top is the 2009 Toyota Corolla, which ranks tenth as the most stolen car of last year.

By the end of August 2009, the NICB had 97,655 vehicles listed as stolen and not recovered. According to the data available, only 38 percent of those cars had some type of insurance covering theft. Most of the cars will end up chopped in illegal shops and used as spare parts.

To prevent the number of cars stolen, the NCIB advises car owners to be responsible and lock the car, preferably with the keys in their pockets, and not in the ignition. Installing fuel cut-offs, smart keys and tracking devices might be a smart choice, as they might help prevent the theft or help recover the car, before it is dismantled.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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