Car thefts up 14% since Biden-Harris admin took office—up 163% in Vermont

A new report has revealed that US auto thefts jumped nearly 14 percent between 2020 and 2022, the most recent year that national data is available. In 2023, a vehicle was stolen every 31 seconds in the US, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

LendingTree found that vehicle thefts jumped 13.7 percent nationwide from 2020 to 2022, even as the Biden-Harris administration falsely claimed crime was down. Vehicle thefts were up in 34 states during that period, with Vermont seeing the largest spike at 163 percent. Vermont was the only state to have more than doubled it's amount of vehicle theft during that time.

Four other states in the top five had an increase of over 40 percent in vehicle thefts: Washington (65.8 percent), Colorado (46.4 percent), Pennsylvania (44.3 percent) and Oregon (40.4 percent).

Three of the top 10 cities that saw the largest spike in the US are in Washington: Kennewick, Bremerton, and Wenatchee. Rob Bhatt, LendingTree auto expert and insurance agent said, "We're talking about smaller places that we don't necessarily associate with big city problems like car thefts.”

He added, “Bad actors know using a stolen car makes it easier for them to get away with other crimes.”

Of the top ten stolen models, six are Hyundai and Kia. Theft is a contributing factor in setting insurance rates, and in the top ten states with the highest vehicle theft in 2023, the average annual cost of auto insurance was 5.8 percent higher than the national average. 

Following the 2020 riots that rocked Seattle, the Democrat-controlled Washington Legislature approved restrictions on police pursuits, despite being cautioned that such restrictions would embolden criminals. Following the passage of the legislation, suspects fleeing police spiked by the thousands. One criminal even called 911 to cite the bill to tell police to stop pursuing him.

In May, the Washington Legislature passed a citizen-backed initiative to finally remove Democrats' disastrous restrictions on police pursuits.

Washington was recently ranked as the most dangerous state to live in for 2024 due to violent crime and property crime rates, traffic-related fatalities, and total law enforcement employees per capita. The Seattle Police Department is at its lowest staffing levels since the 1950s and the Evergreen State also has the highest rates of burglary and auto theft in the US.

Washington is also the state most affected by retail crime.