Tailgate thefts reported to insurance companies across the U.S. declined 5 percent in 2017, a report shows, although it's unclear how many such thefts go unreported to insurers.
According to a report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which maps the number of tailgate thefts in the U.S. through insurance claims, the number of such thefts dropped to 1,788 in 2017 from 1,877 in 2016.
Overall, the number of thefts reported to insurers have slipped 6 percent since 2014, though the actual number of thefts reported to the police may be "considerably higher" since not all thefts lead to an insurance claim, the NICB notes.
For 2016 and 2017 combined, Texas had the most tailgate theft claims (1,360), followed by California (1,039); together, the states logged nearly 65 percent of the total theft claims.
Michigan, Missouri, Nevada and South Carolina slipped into the top 10 list for tailgate thefts for 2016 and 2017. Tailgate thefts in Nevada surged 245 percent, when compared with the 2014-15 theft figures, and South Carolina thefts jumped 118 percent.
The top cities for tailgate theft for the 2016-17 figures are: Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Los Angeles, and Fresno, Calif.
"With new tailgates retailing around $1,300, with even higher costs for some variants, the demand contributes to a thriving underground market for vehicle parts -- a market fed with parts removed from stolen vehicles," the NICB said in a statement.
NICB report
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