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Honolulu Leads in Motorcycle Thefts, NYC in Accidents

February 27, 2006
Bikers beware! Your motorcycle's most likely to be stolen in Honolulu. You're more likely to be involved in a crash in New York City; Norfolk, Va., and Baton Rouge, La.

The Progressive Insurance Company reviewed claims data on more than two million motorcycles over the past three years to determine the likelihood of a motorcyclist getting into an accident or having a bike stolen. The analysis focused on the 89 U.S. metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 and higher.

The study found Honolulu riders are most likely to have their bikes stolen, even though it's the 53rd largest metropolitan area. In fact, a motorcyclist in Honolulu is four times more likely to have a bike stolen than is a motorcyclist in Chicago or Detroit, which are the third and seventh largest metro areas in the country, respectively.

Similarly, though Baton Rouge ranks 75th in population, it ranks third when it comes to the likelihood of a rider there having a motorcycle crash. And, a motorcyclist in Philadelphia, the country's fifth largest metro area, is 36 percent less likely to have an accident as one in the Norfolk-Virginia Beach metro area, which is the 47th largest.

One metropolitan area where the statistics are more in line with what you might expect is New York; it ranks number one both in population and in the likelihood of motorcycle collisions.

Most Likely to Crash

1. New York
2. Norfolk/Virginia Beach
3. Baton Rouge
4. San Diego
5. San Francisco-Oakland
6. New Orleans
7. San Antonio
9. McAllen, Texas
10. Nassau-Suffolk, N.Y.
11. Orlando

Least Likely to Crash

1. Columbus, Ohio
2. Oxnard-Semi Valley
3. Cleveland
4. Providence-Warwick-Pawtucket, R.I./Mass.
5. Tacoma, Wash.
6. Cincinnati
7. Toledo
8. Akron
9. Indianapolis
10. Bakersfield, Calif.

Most Likely to Be Stolen

1. Honolulu
2. Miami
3. San Diego
3. Las Vegas
4. New York, N.Y.
5. Washington, D.C./Va./Md.
6. Los Angeles
7. Fort Lauderdale
8. New Orleans
9. Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Portsmouth, Va.

Least Likely to Be Stolen

1. Nashville-Davidson, Tenn.
2. Pittsburgh
3. Milwaukee
4. Minneapolis-St. Paul
5. Cincinnati
6. Lansing-East Lansing, Mich.
7. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y.
8. Syracuse, N.Y
9. Harrisburg, Penn.
10. Grand Rapids, Mich.

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