Reported vehicle theft has fallen to a 20-year low, even as the number of vehicles on the road has doubled, as manufacturers install sophisticated anti-theft technology in cars and police target organized car-theft rings, USA Today reports today.

That trend also bears out locally, as reported car thefts to the Ann Arbor Police Department and the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department have deceased significantly in the last five years, according to FBI data.

According to the USA Today story:

The FBI estimates 956,846 motor vehicles were stolen in 2008 — 315 cars for every 100,000 people. That's less than half the rate in 1991, when a high of 1.66 million vehicles were stolen — 659 for every 100,000 people. Data for 2009 are not yet available. 

"It's a much tougher job to be a car thief today," says Russ Rader, spokesman for Highway Loss Data Institute, a research group funded by auto insurers that analyzes data from insurance claims. "The technology in new vehicles makes it much harder to make off with a car."

According to FBI data:

Car thefts in Ann Arbor:

• 146 in 2008


• 159 in 2007


• 173 in 2006


• 238 in 2005


• 182 in 2004

(It's not clear from the data what caused the leap between 2004 and 2005).

Car thefts reported to the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department:

• 217 in 2008


• 301 in 2007


• 304 in 2006


• 338 in 2005


• 381 in 2004

According to the Michigan group Help Eliminate Auto Theft, the most commonly swiped cars in the state include the Dodge Intrepid, Dodge Caravan, Dodge Ram, Jeep Cherokee, Ford Taurus, and Dodge Durango.