68 FR 72 pgs. 18181-18185 - Preliminary Theft Data; Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard

Type: PRORULEVolume: 68Number: 72Pages: 18181 - 18185
Docket number: [Docket No. NHTSA-03-14452; Notice 01]
FR document: [FR Doc. 03-9186 Filed 4-14-03; 8:45 am]
Agency: Transportation Department
Sub Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Official PDF Version:  PDF Version

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

49 CFR Part 541

[Docket No. NHTSA-03-14452; Notice 01]

RIN 2127-AJ00

Preliminary Theft Data; Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard

AGENCY:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),Department of Transportation.

ACTION:

Publication of preliminary theft data; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

This document requests comments on data about passenger motor vehicle thefts that occurred in calendar year (CY) 2001 including theft rates for existing passenger motor vehicle lines manufactured in model year (MY) 2001. The theft data preliminarily indicate that the vehicle theft rate for CY/MY 2001 vehicles (3.26 thefts per thousand vehicles) increased by 12.8 percent from the theft rate for CY/MY 2000 vehicles (2.89 thefts per thousand vehicles).

Publication of these data fulfills NHTSA's statutory obligation to periodically obtain accurate and timely theft data, and publish the information for review and comment.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before June 16, 2003.

ADDRESSES:

All comments should refer to the docket number and notice number cited in the heading of this document and be submitted, preferably with two copies to: U.S. Department of Transportation, Dockets, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Docket hours are from 10 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Deborah Mazyck, Office of Planning and Consumer Standards, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. Ms. Mazyck's telephone number is (202) 366-0846. Her fax number is (202) 493-2290.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

NHTSA administers a program for reducing motor vehicle theft. The central feature of this program is the Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard, 49 CFR part 541. The standard specifies performance requirements for inscribing or affixing vehicle identification numbers (VINs) onto certain major original equipment and replacement parts of high-theft lines of passenger motor vehicles.

The agency is required by 49 U.S.C. 33104(b)(4) to periodically obtain, from the most reliable source, accurate and timely theft data, and publish the data for review and comment. To fulfill the § 33104(b)(4) mandate, this document reports the preliminary theft data for CY 2001, the most recent calendar year for which data are available.

In calculating the 2001 theft rates, NHTSA followed the same procedures it used in calculating the MY 2000 theft rates. (For 2000 theft data calculations, see 67 FR 53756, August 19, 2002). As in all previous reports, NHTSA's data were based on information provided to the agency by the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The NCIC is a governmental system that receives vehicle theft information from nearly 23,000 criminal justice agencies and other law enforcement authorities throughout the United States. The NCIC data also include reported thefts of self-insured and uninsured vehicles, not all of which are reported to other data sources.

The 2001 theft rate for each vehicle line was calculated by dividing the number of reported thefts of MY 2001 vehicles of that line stolen during calendar year 2001, by the total number of vehicles in that line manufactured for MY 2001, as reported by manufacturers to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The preliminary 2001 theft data show an increase in the vehicle theft rate when compared to the theft rate experienced in CY/MY 2000. The preliminary theft rate for MY 2001 passenger vehicles stolen in calendar year 2001 increased to 3.26 thefts per thousand vehicles produced, an increase of 12.8 percent from the rate of 2.89 thefts per thousand vehicles experienced by MY 2000 vehicles in CY 2000. For MY 2001 vehicles, out of a total of 217 vehicle lines, 68 lines had a theft rate higher than 3.5826 per thousand vehicles, the established median theft rate for MYs 1990/1991. (See 59 FR 12400, March 16, 1994). Of the 68 vehicle lines with a theft rate higher than 3.5826, 56 are passenger car lines, 12 are multipurpose passenger vehicle lines, and none are light-duty truck lines.

In Table I, NHTSA has tentatively ranked each of the MY 2001 vehicle lines in descending order of theft rate. Public comment is sought on the accuracy of the data, including the data for the production volumes of individual vehicle lines.

Comments must not exceed 15 pages in length (49 CFR part 553.21). Attachments may be appended to these submissions without regard to the 15 page limit. This limitation is intended to encourage commenters to detail their primary arguments in a concise fashion.

If a commenter wishes to submit certain information under a claim of confidentiality, three copies of the complete submission, including purportedly confidential business information, should be submitted to the Chief Counsel, NHTSA, at the street address given above, and two copies from which the purportedly confidential information has been deleted should be submitted to Dockets. A request for confidentiality should be accompanied by a cover letter setting forth the information specified in the agency's confidential business information regulation. 49 CFR part 512.

All comments received before the close of business on the comment closing date indicated above for this document will be considered, and will be available for examination in the docket at the above address both before and after that date. To the extent possible, comments filed after the closing date will also be considered. Comments on this document will be available for inspection in the docket. NHTSA will continue to file relevant information as it becomes available for inspection in the docket after the closing date, and it is recommended that interested persons continue to examine the docket for new material.

Those persons desiring to be notified upon receipt of their comments in the rules docket should enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard in the envelope with their comments. Upon receiving the comments, the docket supervisor will return the postcard by mail.

Authority:

49 U.S.C. 33101, 33102 and 33104; delegation of authority at 49 CFR 1.50.

Manufacturer Make/model (line) Thefts 2001 Production (Mfr's) 2001 2001 Theft rate (per 1000 vehicles produced)
1 DAIMLERCHRYSLER CHRYSLER TOWN COUNTRY MPV 248 10,792 22.9800
2 DAIMLERCHRYSLER DODGE INTREPID 1,442 113,333 12.7236
3 GENERAL MOTORS CHEVROLET METRO 199 15,999 12.4383
4 HONDA ACURA INTEGRA 148 14,092 10.5024
5 DAIMLERCHRYSLER PLYMOUTH NEON 400 38,651 10.3490
6 DAIMLERCHRYSLER DODGE NEON 1,047 101,410 10.3244
7 DAIMLERCHRYSLER DODGE STRATUS 1,115 109,015 10.2280
8 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE 447 48,393 9.2369
9 SUZUKI ESTEEM 152 18,713 8.1227
10 DAIMLERCHRYSLER CHRYSLER LHS 86 11,413 7.5353
11 GENERAL MOTORS PONTIAC FIREBIRD/TRANS AM/FORMULA 149 20,084 7.4188
12 MITSUBISHI GALANT 729 102,990 7.0784
13 GENERAL MOTORS CHEVROLET CAMARO 193 28,278 6.8251
14 MITSUBISHI MONTERO 258 38,599 6.6841
15 GENERAL MOTORS PONTIAC GRAND AM 1,192 182,220 6.5415
16 GENERAL MOTORS BUICK REGAL 340 52,492 6.4772
17 MITSUBISHI MONTERO SPORT 402 64,115 6.2700
18 JAGUAR S-TYPE 126 20,102 6.2680
19 FORD MOTOR CO FORD ESCORT 536 87,019 6.1596
20 FORD MOTOR CO LINCOLN LS 256 41,817 6.1219
21 DAIMLERCHRYSLER CHRYSLER 300M 228 37,284 6.1152
22 GENERAL MOTORS PONTIAC SUNFIRE 445 73,808 6.0292
23 HONDA ACURA NSX 1 167 5.9880
24 MITSUBISHI DIAMANTE 77 13,667 5.6340
25 FORD MOTOR CO FORD MUSTANG 869 155,039 5.6050
26 DAIMLERCHRYSLER CHRYSLER SEBRING 407 73,543 5.5342
27 KIA MOTORS OPTIMA 134 24,754 5.4133
28 DAIMLERCHRYSLER CHRYSLER CONCORDE 147 28,030 5.2444
29 GENERAL MOTORS CHEVROLET CAVALIER 1,136 217,438 5.2245
30 SUZUKI VITARA/GRAND 281 53,810 5.2221
31 TOYOTA COROLLA 1,201 230,246 5.2162
32 NISSAN ALTIMA 706 137,253 5.1438
33 GENERAL MOTORS CHEVROLET MALIBU 956 186,788 5.1181
34 DAIMLERCHRYSLER CHRYSLER SEBRING CONVERTIBLE 200 39,668 5.0418
35 TOYOTA LEXUS IS 155 30,959 5.0066
36 GENERAL MOTORS CHEVROLET LUMINA 213 42,803 4.9763
37 GENERAL MOTORS OLDSMOBILE ALERO 548 112,455 4.8731
38 GENERAL MOTORS CADILLAC DEVILLE 428 87,909 4.8687
39 ISUZU TROOPER 91 18,818 4.8358
40 KIA MOTORS RIO 276 57,340 4.8134
41 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE 380 79,034 4.8081
42 MAZDA MILLENIA 85 17,969 4.7304
43 GENERAL MOTORS CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO 324 68,518 4.7287
44 AUDI S4/QUATTRO 72 15,301 4.7056
45 TOYOTA 4RUNNER 373 83,052 4.4912
46 GENERAL MOTORS GMC JIMMY S15/T15 209 46,905 4.4558
47 DAIMLERCHRYSLER CHRYSLER NEON1 3 682 4.3988
48 NISSAN MAXIMA 447 102,260 4.3712
49 HYUNDAI SONATA 204 46,989 4.3414
50 ROLLS-ROYCE BENTLEY ARNAGE 2 466 4.2918
51 GENERAL MOTORS OLDSMOBILE INTRIGUE 168 39,491 4.2541
52 JAGUAR XK8 19 4,501 4.2213
53 GENERAL MOTORS CHEVROLET PRIZM 209 50,141 4.1682
54 DAIMLERCHRYSLER JEEP CHEROKEE/GRAND 1,376 338,673 4.0629
55 HONDA PRELUDE 46 11,329 4.0604
56 GENERAL MOTORS OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA 44 10,935 4.0238
57 GENERAL MOTORS PONTIAC BONNEVILLE 175 43,842 3.9916
58 KIA MOTORS SEPHIA/SPECTRA 296 74,516 3.9723
59 GENERAL MOTORS PONTIAC GRAND PRIX 466 117,647 3.9610
60 MERCEDES-BENZ 129 (SL-CLASS) 16 4,080 3.9216
61 ISUZU RODEO 242 62,963 3.8435
62 GENERAL MOTORS CHEVROLET BLAZER S10/T10 629 163,771 3.8407
63 GENERAL MOTORS CHEVROLET CORVETTE 124 33,204 3.7345
64 KIA MOTORS SPORTAGE 215 57,927 3.7116
65 FORD MOTOR CO LINCOLN TOWN CAR 255 68,832 3.7047
66 FORD MOTOR CO MERCURY SABLE 364 98,867 3.6817
67 DAEWOO LEGANZA 73 20,112 3.6297
68 FORD MOTOR CO FORD FOCUS 964 267,470 3.6041
69 TOYOTA CELICA 126 35,540 3.5453
70 FORD MOTOR CO FORD TAURUS 1,238 351,813 3.5189
71 TOYOTA LEXUS GS 105 29,858 3.5166
72 GENERAL MOTORS CADILLAC SEVILLE 88 25,157 3.4980
73 MERCEDES-BENZ 215 (CL-CLASS) 11 3,162 3.4788
74 SUZUKI SWIFT 15 4,375 3.4286
75 MAZDA 626 173 51,355 3.3687
76 BMW Z8 3 895 3.3520
77 HYUNDAI ACCENT 256 77,491 3.3036
78 NISSAN INFINITI Q45 6 1,846 3.2503
79 DAEWOO LANOS 69 21,626 3.1906
80 TOYOTA CAMRY 1,123 353,219 3.1793
81 GENERAL MOTORS CHEVROLET IMPALA 597 188,248 3.1713
82 NISSAN SENTRA 335 106,549 3.1441
83 FORD MOTOR CO MERCURY MOUNTAINEER 45 14,439 3.1166
84 TOYOTA LEXUS LX 31 9,967 3.1103
85 DAIMLERCHRYSLER CHRYSLER PROWLER 5 1,632 3.0637
86 FORD MOTOR CO FORD EXPLORER 1,050 344,002 3.0523
87 DAIMLERCHRYSLER DODGE CARAVAN/GRAND 649 218,302 2.9729
88 JAGUAR XJ8 17 5,960 2.8523
89 HYUNDAI TIBURON 64 22,713 2.8178
90 GENERAL MOTORS OLDSMOBILE AURORA 140 50,034 2.7981
91 GENERAL MOTORS SATURN LS 222 79,562 2.7903
92 NISSAN FRONTIER PICKUP 286 102,545 2.7890
93 MERCEDES-BENZ 220 (S-CLASS) 85 31,977 2.6582
94 FORD MOTOR CO FORD RANGER PICKUP 708 266,960 2.6521
95 BMW 3 307 117,873 2.6045
96 DAEWOO NUBIRA 35 13,450 2.6022
97 VOLVO C70 14 5,462 2.5632
98 NISSAN INFINITI G20 18 7,087 2.5399
99 JAGUAR XKR 4 1,588 2.5189
100 DAIMLERCHRYSLER JEEP WRANGLER 163 66,366 2.4561
101 HONDA ACURA 3.2 CL 94 38,679 2.4303
102 GENERAL MOTORS CHEVROLET ASTRO VAN 104 42,909 2.4237
103 GENERAL MOTORS BUICK PARK AVENUE 88 36,407 2.4171
104 JAGUAR XJR 3 1,256 2.3885
105 HYUNDAI SANTA FE 121 51,088 2.3685
106 TOYOTA LEXUS LS 75 31,738 2.3631
107 HYUNDAI XG 47 19,894 2.3625
108 GENERAL MOTORS BUICK LESABRE 327 140,202 2.3323
109 HONDA S2000 23 9,945 2.3127
110 MAZDA PROTEGE 110 47,754 2.3035
111 HONDA PASSPORT 39 16,999 2.2943
112 MERCEDES-BENZ 208 (CLK-CLASS) 34 14,940 2.2758
113 GENERAL MOTORS GMC SAFARI VAN 33 14,549 2.2682
114 GENERAL MOTORS BUICK CENTURY 285 126,295 2.2566
115 FORD MOTOR CO MERCURY COUGAR 58 25,810 2.2472
116 AUDI TT/QUATTRO 47 21,022 2.2358
117 BMW 7 57 25,548 2.2311
118 DAIMLERCHRYSLER PLYMOUTH PROWLER 3 1,353 2.2173
119 VOLVO S40 69 31,145 2.2154
120 JAGUAR VANDEN PLAS 8 3,617 2.2118
121 GENERAL MOTORS CHEVROLET S10/T10 PICKUP 354 166,708 2.1235
122 FORD MOTOR CO FORD F150 PICKUP 293 138,481 2.1158
123 HONDA ACURA 3.5 RL 7 3,312 2.1135
124 VOLVO S80 53 25,203 2.1029
125 SUBARU IMPREZA 19 9,205 2.0641
126 TOYOTA TACOMA PICKUP 330 160,222 2.0596
127 FORD MOTOR CO MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS 215 104,890 2.0498
128 HYUNDAI ELANTRA 217 106,418 2.0391
129 GENERAL MOTORS GMC SONOMA PICKUP 86 42,536 2.0218
130 GENERAL MOTORS SATURN SC 94 46,557 2.0190
131 TOYOTA TUNDRA PICKUP 38 19,191 1.9801
132 TOYOTA RAV4 172 87,108 1.9746
133 GENERAL MOTORS SATURN SL 214 108,946 1.9643
134 TOYOTA ECHO 103 52,694 1.9547
135 NISSAN PATHFINDER 172 89,836 1.9146
136 BMW 5 76 40,591 1.8723
137 PORSCHE 911 20 10,931 1.8297
138 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA 281 153,706 1.8282
139 NISSAN INFINITI I30 70 39,505 1.7719
140 HONDA CIVIC 603 341,401 1.7663
141 NISSAN XTERRA 170 96,255 1.7661
142 HONDA ACCORD 665 379,508 1.7523
143 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF/GTI 56 32,736 1.7107
144 VOLVO V40 7 4,109 1.7036
145 SAAB 9-5 39 23,016 1.6945
146 MERCEDES-BENZ ML 68 40,257 1.6891
147 MAZDA B-SERIES PICKUP 46 27,490 1.6733
148 AUDI A4/QUATTRO 58 35,023 1.6561
149 NISSAN INFINITI QX4 59 36,778 1.6042
150 DAIMLERCHRYSLER CHRYSLER PT CRUISER 279 176,326 1.5823
151 GENERAL MOTORS CADILLAC CATERA 18 11,568 1.5560
152 GENERAL MOTORS PONTIAC AZTEK 63 41,111 1.5324
153 TOYOTA LEXUS ES 54 35,282 1.5305
154 FORD MOTOR CO FORD WINDSTAR VAN 275 179,687 1.5304
155 VOLVO V70 25 16,408 1.5236
156 GENERAL MOTORS SATURN SW 6 3,973 1.5102
157 FORD MOTOR CO LINCOLN CONTINENTAL 32 21,341 1.4995
158 ISUZU VEHICROSS 2 1,347 1.4848
159 AUDI A6/QUATTRO 39 26,592 1.4666
160 PORSCHE BOXSTER 19 12,979 1.4639
161 DAIMLERCHRYSLER DODGE DAKOTA PICKUP 230 158,303 1.4529
162 TOYOTA MR2 SPYDER 10 6,950 1.4388
163 FORD MOTOR CO FORD ESCAPE 214 151,295 1.4145
164 GENERAL MOTORS PONTIAC MONTANA VAN 71 50,437 1.4077
165 TOYOTA LEXUS RX 121 86,206 1.4036
166 MERCEDES-BENZ 170 (SLK-CLASS) 22 16,294 1.3502
167 MERCEDES-BENZ 210 (E-CLASS) 67 49,628 1.3500
168 HONDA ACURA 3.2 TL 46 34,860 1.3196
169 GENERAL MOTORS CHEVROLET VENTURE VAN 110 85,346 1.2889
170 AUDI S8/QUATTRO 1 814 1.2285
171 DAIMLERCHRYSLER DODGE VIPER 2 1,643 1.2173
172 NISSAN QUEST VAN 37 31,402 1.1783
173 TOYOTA SIENNA VAN 99 85,794 1.1539
174 VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE 83 72,350 1.1472
175 MERCEDES-BENZ 203 (C-CLASS) 36 32,931 1.0932
176 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 90 82,870 1.0860
177 VOLKSWAGEN CABRIO 16 15,479 1.0337
178 TOYOTA AVALON 79 77,925 1.0138
179 GENERAL MOTORS CHEVROLET TRACKER 108 108,204 0.9981
180 GENERAL MOTORS OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE VAN 36 36,278 0.9923
181 FORD MOTOR CO MERCURY VILLAGER VAN 18 18,169 0.9907
182 VOLVO S60 32 33,335 0.9600
183 SAAB 9-3 20 20,920 0.9560
184 VOLVO XC 25 27,082 0.9231
185 AUDI A8/QUATTRO/L 2 2,177 0.9187
186 HONDA CR-V 99 117,003 0.8461
187 VOLKSWAGEN EUROVAN/CAMPER 3 3,652 0.8215
188 BMW M/Z3 15 18,627 0.8053
189 GENERAL MOTORS CADILLAC ELDORADO 8 10,289 0.7775
190 MAZDA TRIBUTE 42 55,827 0.7523
191 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 52 69,706 0.7460
192 SUBARU LEGACY/OUTBACK 73 98,623 0.7402
193 HONDA ACURA MDX 30 41,081 0.7303
194 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA 12 18,040 0.6652
195 MAZDA MPV 23 36,356 0.6326
196 SUBARU FORESTER 37 63,015 0.5872
197 FORD MOTOR CO FORD LTD/CROWN VICTORIA 50 89,572 0.5582
198 GENERAL MOTORS SATURN LW 5 9,223 0.5421
199 DAIMLERCHRYSLER CHRYSLER VOYAGER 78 169,370 0.4605
200 TOYOTA PRIUS 7 15,773 0.4438
201 AUDI ALLROAD/QUATTRO 3 6,840 0.4386
202 HONDA ODYSSEY MINIVAN 54 123,522 0.4372
203 QUANTUM TECH. CAVALIER 1 2,417 0.4137
204 HONDA INSIGHT 1 3,426 0.2919
205 ASTON-MARTIN DB-7/VANTAGE/COUPE/VOLANTE 0 348 0.0000
206 ROLLS-ROYCE BENTLEY AZURE 0 100 0.0000
207 ROLLS-ROYCE BENTLEY CONTINENTAL R 0 22 0.0000
208 ROLLS-ROYCE BENTLEY CONTINENTAL T 0 8 0.0000
209 GENERAL MOTORS CADILLAC FUNERAL COACH/HEARSE 0 2,203 0.0000
210 FERRARI 360 0 723 0.0000
211 FERRARI 456 0 64 0.0000
212 FERRARI 550 0 290 0.0000
213 LAMBORGHINI DB132/144 DIABLO 0 150 0.0000
214 ROLLS-ROYCE CORNICHE 0 45 0.0000
215 ROLLS-ROYCE PARK WARD 0 28 0.0000
216 ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER SERAPH 0 51 0.0000
217 MITSUBISHI NATIVA2 0 1,653 0.0000
1 This vehicle was manufactured under the Chrysler nameplate for sale in a U.S. Territory only (Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico) and the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas and St. Croix).
2 This vehicle was manufactured for sale only in Puerto Rico and represents the U.S. version of the Montero Sport line.

Stephen R. Kratzke,

Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.

[FR Doc. 03-9186 Filed 4-14-03; 8:45 am]

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