New Year's holiday hot time for car thefts

New Year's Day was the leading holiday for reported vehicle thefts in 2009, according to an analysis by Des Plaines-based National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). Christmas Day repeats as the holiday with the fewest reported vehicle thefts.

While Americans are enjoying the holidays and most have time off from work, we need to remember that holidays are just another day at the shop for vehicle thieves. For the 11 holidays reviewed in 2009, a total of 22,991 vehicles were reported stolen compared with a total of 24,676 reported for those same days in 2008.

Although vehicle thefts have been declining for six consecutive years -- with preliminary 2010 FBI theft data pointing to a seventh year -- vehicles remain popular theft targets.

The holidays ranked by number of thefts reported to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) in 2009 were:

New Year's Day: 2,760

Halloween: 2,325

Independence Day : 2,207

Memorial Day : 2,207

President's Day : 2,204

Labor Day: 2,202

New Year's Eve: 2,189

Valentine's Day: 2,090

Christmas Eve: 1,851

Thanksgiving: 1,620

Christmas Day: 1,336

Tips for protecting your car include parking in well-lit areas, keeping packages in the trunk or out of sight, and making sure your vehicle is locked while it's parked.