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The number of auto crime incidents in B.C. decreased in 2024 compared to the previous year, reveal new data from the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC).

At the same time, the number of vehicle crashes in the province has steadily increased over the last five years since the significant reduction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Auto crime incidents in B.C. are categorized into vehicles stolen, thefts from vehicles, and vandalism.

According to recently released online statistics from the public auto insurer, B.C. saw 5,764 stolen vehicles in 2024, down from 6,258 in 2023 and 6,988 in 2022.

Vehicle break-ins in the province totalled 5,355 last year, compared to 8,847 in 2023 and 11,086 in 2022.

And vandalism incidents totalled 18,357 in 2024, a decrease from 20,353 in 2023 and 20,643 in 2022.

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The average cost, including deductible, of an auto crime incident in B.C. reported to ICBC (2020-2024) was about $6,400 for a stolen vehicle, $1,900 for a vehicle break-in and $1,700 for vandalism.

Crashes reported to ICBC have steadily increased over the last five years to 303,593 in 2024 since the significant reduction in crashes during COVID. “We forecast the frequency of crashes in B.C., which is based on crash counts and the number of insured vehicles, to continue to increase in 2025 and then level off,” ICBC says in a press release.

During the first year of the pandemic in 2020, there were 224,999 crashes reported to ICBC. That number increased to 263,437 in 2021, 291,745 in 2022, 296,159 in 2023, and 303,593 in 2024.

The latest data on vehicle population in B.C. also shows the number of actively insured vehicles in the province has increased year-over-year for the last five years. Most recently, it increased from 3.67 million in 2023 to about 3.74 million last year.

The data itself doesn’t include the reason for the decrease in auto crime incidents or the increase in crashes, but ICBC says in the release it invests and collaborates with communities, law enforcement, the provincial government and a variety of organizations who share the goal of reducing crashes.

In 2023/24, the insurer invested $51 million in road safety initiatives and loss management programs, focusing on major crash risks, including distracted driving, high-risk driving, speeding, and impaired driving. It also works with partners to deliver programs that prevent crashes by influencing road user behaviour, improving road design and encouraging drivers to travel at safe speeds.

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Jason Contant

Jason has been an award-winning journalist with Canadian Underwriter for more than a decade, including the past three years as associate editor and, before that, as digital editor for seven years.