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TUCSON - Tucson was ranked 37 in the U.S. for auto theft last year, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which released national statistics on car thefts this week.

In 2011, 3,586 cars were stolen in the Tucson Metropolitan area, at a rate of 362 thefts per 100,000 people. This is down significantly from 2010, when 4,200 car thefts were reported at a rate of 428 per 100,000. Tucson ranked as the 22nd worst city for car theft in 2010, according to the NICB.

Above: YouTube video from the NICB goes into more detail on this year's auto theft statistics

Tucson is still the worst city in Arizona for car theft this year - Phoenix ranked 60th in the nation with a theft rate of 308 cars stolen per 100,000 people.

According to the NICB, the top 10 most-stolen cars in Arizona are:

1. 1994 Honda Accord
2. 2005 Chevrolet Pickup (full size)
3. 1995 Honda Civic
4. 2004 Ford Pickup (full size)
5. 2005 Dodge Pickup (full size)
6 . 1994 Nissan Sentra
7T. 1991 Toyota Camry
7T. 1997 Nissan Altima
9. 1996 Nissan Maxima
10. 2000 Chevrolet Pickup (small size)

The worst city in country for car theft in 2011 and 2010 was Fresno, California. Last year, 7,621 cars were stolen, with a theft rate of 808 per 100,000 people.

Overall, car theft appears to have dropped in the United States for another consecutive year: the FBI's preliminary report indicates thefts dropped by 3.3 percent compared to 2010.

The NCIB recommends a number of measures to prevent theft: "common sense" measures such as locking doors and parking in a well-lit area, warning devices such as alarms and steering wheel locks, immobilizing devices like kill switches and smart keys, and tracking devices that use GPS and wireless technology to remotely monitor the vehicle.

For complete car theft statistics, and for more tips on protecting your car, visit the NCIB at:

www.ncib.org