New cars
New carsIsrael news photo: Flash 90

Your car is more likely to get stolen in Jerusalem than in any other city in Israel, said a study by Ituran, a company that manufactures a system to detect stolen cars. The city is responsible for 10% of all car thefts in Israel, the report said.

Within the city, the neighborhoods where residents are most likely to have their cars stolen are Har Homa, Pisgat Ze'ev, and Ein Kerem, it added. According to the report, those neighborhoods are most popular because they are near large Arab areas. Most of the car theft in Jerusalem is committed by Arabs, and the less distance they have to drive to reach “safe” areas with a stolen car, the more likely they are to get away with their crime.

By region, the Tel Aviv area experienced the largest number of thefts, with about a third of all thefts occurring there. But per capita, thefts were higher in Jerusalem than in the Tel Aviv area. Other areas, including the central plain, north, and south, accounted for about 10% of thefts as well, while 3% occurred in Judea and Samaria.

According to the report, 78% of car thefts take place by “breaking and entering” - smashing a window and getting the car started. In 16% of cases, thieves stole car keys and then the cars, while in 3% of cases, cars were stolen when individuals left keys in the ignition. Carjackings, in which a thief forces a driver out of the car, accounted for 3% of thefts.

Thieves aren't picky, the report said – they stole all car models from all years without preference. 40% of thefts involved privately-owned vehicles, while 26% were commercial vehicles. Trucks, the report added, are very popular with thieves, apparently because they can be sold for a lot of money.