The Ford pick-up truck is stolen more often than any other vehicle on the roadway in Texas, according to the Insurance Council of Texas.
The monthly report from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) lists Ford trucks, GM trucks and Dodge trucks as the top stolen vehicles in the state. In January 2016, 530 Ford trucks, including the 150, 250 and 350 models, were stolen in Texas.
Besides trucks, thieves also targeted the Honda Civic and Accord.
More vehicles are stolen in Houston than any other city in Texas, the DPS report shows.
Investigators with the Automobile Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority (ABTPA) say the larger Ford 250 is often stripped of its seats so that human traffickers can get as many people in the vehicle as possible.
“For 23 years the number of vehicles stolen in Texas had been dropping, but that came to halt in 2012. Since then, the number of stolen vehicles has risen every year,” said Bryan Wilson, director of the ABTPA, which was established in 1991 to combat vehicle theft and burglary through enforcement, prevention, public information and education initiatives.
Austin police say more than half of all vehicles are stolen because thieves have access to the vehicle’s keys. Although newer vehicles are harder to steal, many drivers still leave their keys in the vehicle or keep their vehicles running outside their home, business or convenient stores.
Source: The Insurance Council of Texas
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