10 Tips to Protect Your Car from Theft

Car theft is, unfortunately, one of the most lucrative and well organized crimes in Canada. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) the costs associated with automobile theft come close to $1 billion annually.

Surprisingly, many of these vehicles are stolen right out of the owner’s driveway!

Cars are more vulnerable in the winter for two main reasons:

• People leave their cars running unattended in the morning to warm them up. Not only are you leaving your keys in the car, you save the thief from having to start it.
• People head south for a lengthy period of time leaving the car parked in the driveway. Thieves notice this kind of thing.

Over the years, many anti-theft devices have come on the market – remember The Club? Car alarms are certainly effective at getting the attention of everyone in the general area, although they are often ignored and considered more of a nuisance than anything. There are tire locks, hood locks and something called kill switches. I am sure they have already invented the app to find your stolen car too. Oh ya here is one called findmycar.

You certainly don’t want your car to be stolen, so what can you do to protect yourself? Well, good news. Protecting your car is both possible and easy to do. Your basic goal is to make your car a tough target – the harder it is to get at and the longer it may take a thief to steal it, the less likely your vehicle will be a target.

Tips to Reduce the Chance of Car Theft

1. Lock your car. Approximately 50 percent of all stolen vehicles were left unlocked.
2. Take your keys. Nearly 13 percent of stolen vehicles had the keys in the ignition.
3. Never hide a second set of keys in your car. Never
4. Park in well-lit areas. Thieves do not like the spot light.
5. Park in attended lots. They do not like witnesses either.
6. Never leave your car running unattended. This includes convenience stores, gas stations, and the grocery store.
7. Completely close your windows when you park. Don’t make it any easier for a thief.
8. Never leave valuables in plain view. That is what the trunk is for.
9. Always use your emergency brake when parked. This is for safety and it makes it harder to tow. Also turn your wheel into the curb.
10. If you have a garage, use it. And lock the garage too!

We get into bad habits without realizing how vulnerable we are making ourselves to theft. This list is really common sense, but it is the cheapest and most effective protection for your car.