Final Theft Data; Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard

AGENCY:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Department of Transportation.

ACTION:

Publication of final theft data.

SUMMARY:

This document publishes the final data on thefts of model year (MY) 2001 passenger motor vehicles that occurred in calendar year (CY) 2001. The final 2001 theft data indicate an increase in the vehicle theft rate experienced in CY/MY 2001. The final theft rate for MY 2001 passenger vehicles stolen in calendar year 2001 (3.26 thefts per thousand vehicles) increased by 12.8 percent from the theft rate for CY/MY 2000 (2.89 thefts per thousand vehicles) when compared to the theft rate experienced in CY/MY 2000. Publication of these data fulfills NHTSA's statutory obligation to periodically obtain accurate and timely theft data and publish the information for review and comment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Deborah Mazyck, Office of Planning and Consumer Standards, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Ms. Mazyck's telephone number is (202) 366-0846. Her fax number is (202) 493-2290.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

NHTSA administers a program for reducing motor vehicle theft. The central feature of this program is the Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard, 49 CFR part 541. The standard specifies performance requirements for inscribing and affixing vehicle identification numbers (VINs) onto certain major original equipment and replacement parts of high-theft lines of passenger motor vehicles.

The agency is required by 49 U.S.C. 33104(b)(4) to periodically obtain, from the most reliable source, accurate and timely theft data and publish the data for review and comment. To fulfill this statutory mandate, NHTSA has published theft data annually beginning with MYs 1983/84. Continuing to fulfill the section 33104(b)(4) mandate, this document reports the final theft data for CY 2001, the most recent calendar year for which data are available.

In calculating the 2001 theft rates, NHTSA followed the same procedures it used in calculating the MY 2000 theft rates. (For 2000 theft data calculations, see 67 FR 53756, August 19, 2002.) As in all previous reports, NHTSA's data were based on information provided to NHTSA by the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The NCIC is a government system that receives vehicle theft information from nearly 23,000 criminal justice agencies and other law enforcement authorities throughout the United States. The NCIC data also include reported thefts of self-insured and uninsured vehicles, not all of which are reported to other data sources.

The 2001 theft rate for each vehicle line was calculated by dividing the number of reported thefts of MY 2001 vehicles of that line stolen during calendar year 2001 by the total number of vehicles in that line manufactured for MY 2001, as reported to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The final 2001 theft data show an increase in the vehicle theft rate when compared to the theft rate experienced in CY/MY 2000. The final theft rate for MY 2001 passenger vehicles stolen in calendar year 2001 increased to 3.26 thefts per thousand vehicles produced, an increase of 12.8 percent from the rate of 2.89 thefts per thousand vehicles experienced by MY 2000 vehicles in CY 2000. For MY 2001 vehicles, out of a total of 217 vehicle lines, 67 lines had a theft rate higher than 3.5826 per thousand vehicles, the established median theft rate for MYs 1990/1991. (See 59 FR 12400, March 16, 1994.) Of the 67 vehicle lines with a theft rate higher than 3.5826, 56 are passenger car lines, eight are multipurpose passenger vehicle lines, and none are light-duty truck lines.

On Tuesday, April 15, 2003, NHTSA published the preliminary theft rates for CY 2001 passenger motor vehicles in the Federal Register (68 FR 18181). The agency tentatively ranked each of the MY 2001 vehicle lines in descending order of theft rate. The public was requested to comment on the accuracy of the data and to provide final production figures for individual vehicle lines. The agency used written comments to make the necessary adjustments to its data. As a result of the adjustments, some of the final theft rates and rankings of vehicle lines changed from those published in the April 2003 notice. The agency received written comments from DaimlerChrysler Corporation (DaimlerChrysler) and Volkswagen of America, Inc. (VW). In its comments, DaimlerChrysler informed the agency that the production volumes listed for the Chrysler Town & Country and the Chrysler Voyager lines were incorrect. Specifically, the production volume for the Chrysler Town and Country reflected the Town & Country all-wheel drive vehicles only. The production volume for the Chrysler Voyager reflected the total volume for the Voyager and Town & Country 2-wheel drive vehicles. In response to this comment, the production volumes for the Chrysler Town & Country and the Chrysler Voyager have been corrected and the final theft list has been revised accordingly. As a result of the correction, the Chrysler Town & Country previously ranked No. 1 with a theft rate of 22.9800, is now ranked No. 143 with a theft rate of 1.7196, and the Chrysler Voyager previously ranked No. 199 with a theft rate of 0.4605 is now ranked No. 120 with a theft rate of 2.1700.

Volkswagen also informed the agency that the production volumes for the Audi S4/Quattro and the Audi A6/Quattro were incorrect. Upon later review by Volkswagen, it was confirmed that the listed production volumes were not in error. Therefore, the production volumes will remain unchanged.

The following list represents NHTSA's final calculation of theft rates for all 2001 passenger motor vehicle lines. This list is intended to inform the public of calendar year 2001 motor vehicle thefts of model year 2001 vehicles and does not have any effect on the obligations of regulated parties under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 331, Theft Prevention.