With their ability to traverse even the most challenging environments, all-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, enjoy immense popularity among Powersports enthusiasts. Unfortunately, it’s also precisely because of its strengths that the ATV is often targeted by thieves, making programs such as Torque Group’s Powersports GAP Protection a necessity if you want your adventuring to be as worry-free as possible.

 

The Guaranteed Asset Protection or GAP 150 program pays the difference between your loan balance and the Actual Cash Value (ACV) of your ATV should it be declared a total loss from theft or collision. As such, it gives you the peace of mind required for the full enjoyment of your quad.

 

But why protect yourself against the ramifications of ATV theft? Just how often are ATVs stolen?

 

ATV theft statistics

 

Thanks to its close collaboration with law enforcement, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is a source of reliable data regarding insurance-related crimes. And in 2019, it revealed alarming information about ATV thefts between 2016 and 2018.

 

NICB’s investigation involved the District of Columbia and all 50 states. After examining the period between January 1, 2016, and December 21, 2018, the organization discovered that 2016 saw the most reported thefts with 21,255 ATV thefts. This went down to 20,578 thefts in 2017, and then to 19,363 thefts in 2018.

 

An average of 20,399 ATV thefts are reported every year.

 

The NICB report also states that ATVs are usually stolen on Mondays and Fridays. Furthermore, these crimes are most likely to be perpetrated towards the end of summer, with 19 percent of total ATV thefts occurring in July and August.

 

Below are the 10 states that saw the most ATV thefts from 2016 to 2018:

 

    1. Texas – 6,151 thefts

    2. California – 5,950

    3. Florida – 3,994 

    4. Georgia – 2,688 

    5. Louisiana – 2,442 

    6. South Carolina – 2,345 

    7. North Carolina – 2,310 

    8. Tennessee – 2,293 

    9. Ohio – 2,258 

    10. Alabama – 2,233 

 

In addition, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program revealed that 767,290 motor vehicles were stolen in 2016; 772,943 in 2017; and 748,841 in 2018. Here, the program uses the term “motor vehicles” to include powersports vehicles such as ATVs, motorcycles, and snowmobiles.

 

While the period from 2016 to 2018 saw a decline in the number of stolen ATVs, NICB encourages every ATV owner to take the necessary steps to ensure they don’t become a victim of theft.

                   

 

In relation to this, Torque Group also strongly recommends availing of programs such as the GAP 150, which insures ATV owners against theft. If you have any questions about GAP 150, please feel free to contact us at (800) 859 0590 or via email.