Awoke this morning to a neighbor on a rampage. Her husband’s Dodge truck was broken into over night. The thieves broke a window, stole the stereo and some loose change and killed the ignition, after what seems to be a failed attempt to hotwire it.

It was not the first time that this poor couple was victimized. A few months ago, someone went on a keying binge on our road, and her brand-new car got a tail-to-bumper mark, costing her more than $500 to fix.

While auto theft rates seem to be going up in my Florida city, looking at the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s top 10 hot spots for auto thefts, there is nothing even close to the Sunshine State. The worst places are all west of the Mississippi:

1.  Modesto, Calif.                                                     

2.  Las Vegas/Paradise, Nev.                                   

3.  San Diego/Carlsbad/San Marcos, Calif.               

4.  Stockton, Calif.                                                    

5.  San Francisco/Oakland/Fremont, Calif.               

6.  Laredo, Texas                                                       

7.  Albuquerque, N.M.                                              

8.  Phoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale, Ariz.                           

9.  Yakima, Wash.                                                     

10. Tucson, Ariz.

Though the vehicle theft rate seems to be going up in my neck of the woods, the national rate is, in fact, going down. Based on preliminary data, the NICB reports that the auto theft rate in the United States declined by 7.4 percent last year compared to 2006 and has dropped a whopping 11 percent since 2000. It was the fourth consecutive year that the rate has fallen.

Rates are down, as the NICB points out, due, probably in large part, to the emergence of high-tech anti-theft devices, like smart keys; starter, ignition and fuel disablers; and tracking systems. Unfortunately, there is an abundance of people who would rather be an American criminal than a hard-working American, and they will be working very hard to figure out ways to outwit these devices. That means that we can never let our guards down.

The best strategy, I believe, is common sense. And the bulleted tactics below fall under “common sense”:

• Don’t leave your keys in the car. (1 out of every 5 vehicles stolen had the keys in it.)
• Keep windows closed and doors locked.
• Don’t leave anything of value, like money (even change) or cigarettes, on the seats or in clear view.
• Park in a well-lit area.
• Make sure your vehicle is insured and never let the coverage lapse.