COLUMBIA (WACH) -- The Honda Accord once again tops the National Insurance Crime Bureau's (NICB) list of most stolen vehicles.

Nationwide, the 1994 Accord has occupied the top spot on the list for the past four years.

In South Carolina the 1997 Accord was the most stolen vehicle in 2011.

Despite the Accord's staying power on the list the NICB points out the total number of vehicle thefts in the U.S. is dropping.

The NICB reports that according to 2011 FBI crime statistics there has been more than a 3 percent reduction from the 737,142 thefts recorded in 2010.  

That is the lowest number of vehicle thefts since 1967.

“While overall thefts continue to decline, we are seeing a trend toward increases in the thefts of late model vehicles − ones that are theoretically harder to steal due to sophisticated key code technology,” said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle.

“Today’s vehicle thieves are typically professional criminals who have figured out how to get the key code for a specific vehicle, have a replacement key made, and steal the vehicle within a matter of days," Wehrle said. "We are aware of nearly 300 thefts that took place in the first three months of this year in which we believe replacement keys using illegally obtained key codes were used to steal the vehicle."

Watch the video above for tips from the NICB on how to avoid key code thefts.

For 2011, the most-stolen vehicles were: