Here's an article from USA Today citing informration from the Highway Loss Data Institute.  Keep in mind, all the theft protection in the world does not keep you car from being stolen if the thief breaks in to your house and finds your keys.  Keep your spare keys out of sight, or in a handy container that would not get their attention.
Also, keep your garage door opener somewhere other than your car.

Of the cars stolen in our neighborhood, most are older models without this technology.  Hondas are the number 1 car stolen in Austin and Ford F150's are the number one truck stolen.  If you have an older vehicle, beef up your security with an extra anti-theft device.  Many are very affordable.
Car Theft Slows to Lowest in 20 Years
                               
GPS Technology and Ignition Locks Cited                                 
                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                            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.                                   
                                                                     
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.
                                                                     
There are more than 245 million vehicles on the road today, up from 122 million in 1989, says Charles Territo, spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a trade organization.
                                                                     
"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."
                                                                     
Car manufacturers now routinely build an ignition immobilizer -- an electronic device that blocks the engine from starting -- into vehicles, Territo says. The technology makes it hard to start a car without the owner's key. Many cars also include other theft-prevention technologies, such as alarm systems and Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking devices that help locate a stolen vehicle.                                       
                                                                     
The GPS technology "didn't exist 20 years ago," Territo says.       
                                                                     
                                                                     
Ignition immobilizers were standard on fewer than 5% of new cars in 1989 compared with 86% now, the Highway Loss Data Institute data show.                     
                                                                     
State law enforcement officials also have cracked down on car thieves during the past 20 years.   Arizona legislators in 1992 created a task force to tackle its alarming car-theft problem, says Brian Salata, the group's executive director. Members work with police and prosecutors to uncover organized car-theft rings. "Our idea was to take out the large trafficking organizations," he says. Car thefts in the state have declined for six straight years, including a 25% drop from 2007 to 2008.                             
The chances of a car on the road being stolen are about a third of what they were in 1989. Yet insurance rates have held steady because cars cost more, says Steve Weisbart, senior vice president for the Insurance Information Institute, an industry group.
                                                                     
October 19, 2009