National Report

Thieves Just Not That Into Toyota Prius

he top-selling hybrid electric vehicle is a surprisingly tough sell to car thieves, according to a new report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). With over 1.2 million sold as of April 2012, the Toyota Prius accounts for half of all hybrids on the road today. Yet, despite its allure to consumers, the popular model has both a remarkably low theft rate and a high recovery rate. The NICB reported this and other findings in its detailed analysis after charting the history of Prius thefts from when the model was first introduced to the U.S. auto market in 2000 through June 30, 2012. The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) logged the first Prius theft on September 4, 2000. Since then, hybrids have made up a small part of total U.S. auto theft equation. For instance, a comparison of all car theft rates by model year indicates that the 2008-2010 Prius had a much lower theft ratejust one in 606 vehicles reported stolenthan the average for all 2008-2010 models (one in 78 vehicles reported stolen).

Toyota Prius Thefts by Year

500

461 405 358 314 229

450 (Projected Total)

Number of Thefts

400

300

200

135
100

156

70

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

Theft year
Source: NICB

According to NCIC records, 2,439 Toyota Prius thefts occurred between Sept. 4, 2000 and June 30, 2012. There has been a general uptick each year in the number of Prius thefts with the exception of 2009, which had a drop from the year before. The NICB also notes that 2012 is on track to have fewer Prius

thefts than occurred in 2011. The top five states for Prius thefts in descending order were California (1,062); Florida (127); New York (111); Washington (92); and Texas (89). The full report is available on NICBs website. By Christina Bramlet, PropertyCasualty360.com

Storm Surge 101? Theres An App for That

loods affect more people than any other natural disaster globally. With Hurricane Sandy poised to bring record storm surges across the Northeast, the threat of coastal and inland flooding may impact millions of people. Therefore, understanding flood behavior and insurance coverage implications is more crucial than everfor the public and risk and insurance professionals alike. With this in mind, Swiss Re has released a flood app for the iPad. Built on the global reinsurers flood risk research, the app, which is downloadable from the iTunes store for free, incorporates the latest insights into risk models as well as hazard information for any location worldwide (via the Swiss Re Global Flood Zones tool).

In addition to providing a primer on how storm surges are created, the app explains how to manage and insure such risks while underscoring the necessity of disaster preparedness. Professionals in the risk and insurance industries are obvious users. However, Swiss Re says the general public and students especially will find it a useful tool in familiarizing themselves with

flood behavior, as it includes a host of interactive features to give readers a feel for the dimensions of flood disasters. K

10 December 2012 Claims Magazine PropertyCasualty360.com

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