Forbes.com suggests that residents of California might want to invest in a LoJak. That's because six of the 10 cities on the latest list of car-theft hot spots are in California. All but one of those cities form an auto-theft corridor in the middle of the state, including Modesto, Bakersfield, Stockton and Fresno, Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5. "California always nails this list," says Frank Scafidi, the director of public affairs at the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which released its annual Hot Spots report Monday.
The leading city for car thefts was Laredo, Texas, up from No. 2 last year. The good news is that overall vehicle thefts in the United States fell dramatically in 2009, the sixth year in a row to post declines. According to a 2009 preliminary crime report from the FBI, vehicle theft likely dropped by about 18% last year (final figures will be tallied this fall).
