COLUMBUS, Ohio – Your car is safer in Columbus than in most of Ohio’s largest cities, according to data released Thursday by an insurance industry group.
Columbus ranked fourth among Ohio cities and 114th nationally with slightly more than 200 vehicle thefts per 100,000 in population in 2013, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau and the Ohio Insurance Institute.
Only Cincinnati, with 144.5 thefts per 100,000 residents, ranked lower than Columbus at 176th.
The NICB estimated the U.S. experienced a 3.2 percent decline in auto thefts in 2013, following a 1.2 percent increase in 2012, the first increase after eight straight years of drops.
Thefts in Columbus have dropped each of the last two years, from 4,223 in 2010 to 4,208 in 2012 and 3,950 in 2013.
According to the OII, 11 of Ohio’s 14 Metropolitan Statistical Areas saw declines in auto thefts last year in 2013.
Cleveland remains the top Ohio city based with over 300 vehicles stolen per 100,000 in population. It ranks 52nd on NICB’s national list, up from 61st in 2012 and 82nd in 2010.
Toledo ranks 105th nationally with the second highest auto theft rate in the state, followed by Dayton at 112th.
Only Cleveland and Springfield, with a national ranking of 130th, reported increases in auto thefts from 2012 to 2013, the OII said.