43% increase in car thefts in 2021 • And which vehicles are the most stolen this year?

December 25, 2021   

The shortage of spare parts for vehicles, due to the coronavirus pandemic, caused a significant increase of 43% in vehicle thefts this year, compared to 2020, and the trend is expected to continue in 2022. This is according to a study by Ituran on the subject of vehicle thefts, published in Israel Hayom. The study was conducted based on a national sample of 650,000 vehicles. Jeeps and jeepneys continued to top the list of stolen vehicles in 2021, accounting for 40% of all thefts. This is an increase of 8% compared to 2020. It also emerged that in 2021, vehicle thieves focused on transporting stolen vehicles through breaches in the security fence. The vehicles were smuggled to the cities of Ramallah, Qalqilya and Tulkarm, which are located near the center of the country and are used by thieves as cities of refuge for stolen vehicles. The study also shows that the coronavirus has caused a shortage of spare parts, which is why there has been a significant increase in vehicle thefts. In analyzing the areas preferred by thieves, Gush Dan continues to lead the theft chart in Israel with 34% of all theft incidents. Following the Dan bloc are the Sharon region with 30%, the southern region with 12%, the Sheflera region with 8%, Jerusalem with 6%, the northern region with 7% and Judea and Samaria with 3%. In 21% of the theft incidents, the thief was in possession of the car key. In 32% of all cases, the thief tried to forcefully break into the car. In 29% of the cases, the thief tried to connect to the computer socket. In 8% of the cases, an attempt was made to load or tow the vehicle. In 3% of the cases, the vehicle was robbed from its owner or the key was left in the vehicle. While in 7% of the cases, it was not possible to determine how the vehicle was stolen. The vehicles with the highest incidence of theft attempts in 2021 were again jeeps and jeepneys in 40 percent of cases. Private vehicles in 26 Percentage of cases, motorcycles in 21 percent, commercial vehicles in 8 percent, trucks in 3 percent and mechanical engineering equipment (MEE) – 2%.