Auto thefts down in MI

By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network

LANSING, MI –

Pickup truck owners in Michigan should lock their vehicles and take the most care to prevent auto theft. A new report from the Auto Theft Prevention Authority shows the top ten stolen vehicles in the state are 10-15 year old trucks.

Dan Vartanian is with the prevention authority. He says it makes sense that thieves single-out older trucks.

"Passenger vehicles become more and more sophisticated with anti-theft locking devices, with GPS devices and so-on, that are installed in passenger vehicles," he says. "Older trucks lack this type of technology."

Overall auto theft has declined steadily in the state since the mid-1980s. The number of cars and trucks stolen fell by about nine percent over the past couple years.