Drivers of Honda Accords may want to hang a lucky rabbit’s foot on their rear view mirror — or lock their car doors.
The trusty sedan was Colorado’s most stolen vehicle in 2016, followed by the Civic, a fellow Honda, and the Dodge Ram Pickup, according to . Roughly 75 percent of passenger vehicles stolen were model years 2009 or older.
Among all major crimes, auto thefts saw the biggest yearly increase in 2016, jumping 22 percent to 19,430 stolen vehicles. Since 2011, auto thefts have gone up 77.6 percent, according to .
Law enforcement officials previously told The Denver Post that auto thefts are likely increasing because the stolen vehicles are being used to commit other crimes. while most of the nation’s largest cities stayed relatively stagnant.
Colorado’s largest cities had the most thefts with Denver leading the way, trailed by Colorado Springs and Aurora. Vehicles are most commonly stolen from residences and parking lots, including garages, according to CAAT.
Car thieves tend to like Fridays and Mondays the best and Sunday the least. There were higher rates of auto theft from July through December, according to CAAT. Drivers helped thieves 40-50 percent of the time by leaving doors unlocked and keys in the ignition or on the seat.
Colorado’s top stolen vehicles in 2016, according to CAAT:
- Honda Accord
- Honda Civic
- Dodge Ram Pickup
- Ford F-250
- Ford F-150
- Jeep Cherokee
- Subaru Impreza
- Chevrolet Silverado
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Toyota Camry
