Carjackings are on the rise — but you can protect your vehicle with these tips
The increase of carjackings across the country is not good.
According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, a car is stolen every six minutes in Canada.
In Toronto alone, carjackings have seen a drastic surge this year. Toronto police are reporting auto thefts are up 55 % over last year.
In June, 12 attempts were made in 11 days, while just last week, 31 vehicles were stolen across the city. It’s gotten so bad, even Toronto Mayor John Tory penned an open letter to the feds asking for help.
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As a result of trying to help drivers avoid vehicular theft, Toronto police are offering some helpful tips.
When parking your vehicle in public
- Never leave a vehicle parked and running when you run an errand. Not even
for a minute - Always remove the keys and take them with you
- Park in a well-lit, attended area if possible
- Completely close and lock doors and windows
- Turn your wheels towards the curb to make it harder to tow
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When parking your vehicle at home
- If you have a garage, use and lock it
- Install a motion sensor light to light up your vehicles and garage
- If you have a rear-wheel drive car, back into driveway
- If you have a front-wheel drive car, park front end first
- Always set the emergency brake
- Don’t leave the original ownership or insurance cards in the vehicle when
unattended. Make a photocopy of both sides of the documents to leave
in your vehicle - Drop business cards or address labels inside doors to assist with vehicle
identification
Police also say to never hide a spare key in the vehicle. It sounds like a good idea in theory but car thieves know how to look for it.
Another important tip, police say, is to consider installing a car alarm if you regularly park in public spaces. They also recommend installing a hidden kill switch. This is a cost-effective way to prevent theft as it blocks your vehicle from starting without it being turned on.