Salt Lake Is Among Worst Cities In The Nation For Vehicle Thefts

Here's a friendly reminder to lock your car or truck at night because Salt Lake City is one of the worst cities when it comes to vehicle thefts.

Salt Lake is #4 in the nation when it comes to the number of stolen vehicles per year, according to data complied by AutoInsuranceEZ.

From 2017 to 2019, 17,004 vehicles were stolen in Salt Lake alone. While that might not seem like a lot compared to much larger cities, that's 465 vehicles stolen for every 100,000 people.

During that same time, vehicle thefts dropped by 35%. One of the reasons why Salt Lake ranks among the top cities is because there's been a spike in thefts because of the pandemic. Since people are driving less, cars are more likely to sit in the street or driveway so they become easier targets for crooks.

Salt Lake City Police Det. Greg Wilking told the Associated Press in May that there was a 22% spike in vehicle burglaries, and he expected that to rise at the time because “people get more desperate as time goes on.”

Crooks are picky about what kinds of vehicles they take. In Utah, Honda Civics, Honda Accords, Ford pickups, Chevy pickups, and Dodge pickups are the top five stolen vehicles, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

The rest of the top cities for stolen vehicles are:

1. Portland, Oregon
2. San Jose, California
3. Seattle, Washington
4. Salt Lake City, Utah
5. San Francisco, California

Photo: Getty Images