Newly-released numbers show that King and Pierce County combined to average 78 car thefts a day in August.
That’s according to data from the Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force (PSATTF), which found that nearly 1,700 cars were stolen last month in King County alone, along with 722 in Pierce County.
Car thefts in Washington have soared since the middle of 2022, when a viral TikTok video showed people how to steal a Kia or Hyundai using a USB cable. As recently as July 2023, local law enforcement were still reporting what one Renton detective called a “ridiculous number of Hyundai and Kia thefts.”
The PSATTF advises drivers to remove or hide all valuables in cars, don’t leave your vehicle running unattended (particular in colder months), and us anti-theft devices like alarms, kill switches, and steering wheel locks. You can also use a GPS tracker like an AirTag to help law enforcement track it down in the event it’s stolen.
Steering wheel locks are especially recommended for Kia and Hyundai models, even if you’ve upgraded your car’s software. In many instances, would-be car thieves are known to target those vehicles regardless of whether they’re vulnerable to the USB cable workaround.
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