Only about a third of Ontarians believe they’ll ever be a victim of car theft despite almost half saying it’s something they worry about, according to a new survey.
The CAA poll of some 2,000 Ontarians says the fear increases as you get closer to bigger cities, like Toronto where some 57 per cent believe it could happen to them.
“That’s the troubling part, because people get a little more relaxed in how they handle things,” CAA government relations director Elliott Silverstein says.
“So one of the really telling pieces of our survey was that only a handful, six to eight per cent, were using tools like a Faraday pouch, which would block out the key FOB signals, or using a steering wheel lock with The Club.”
Vehicle thefts in Ontario increased 14 per cent in the past year adding to a 72 per cent uptick over the last seven years in which a car is stolen every 48 minutes in the province.
However, many respondents are still fairly diligent with locking their vehicles – about eighty-two per cent – while seventy-seven per cent of drivers keep valuables out of sight.
Nearly 50 per cent of drivers park their cars in locked garages.
Silverstein says vehicle theft has become more than just a “crime of opportunity” over the past few decades with the asset becoming a target of organized crime.
Vehicle theft was up by 50 per cent in Quebec year over year in 2022 and 48.3 per cent in Ontario.
Auto thefts overtook break-and-enters as the second most prevalent crime in Toronto, jumping up to 9,439 incidents from 6,518 in 2021, according to police data. That’s a 44.8 per cent increase.
“There are particular targeted vehicles that that people are looking for, either for use themselves or to ship export and export internationally,” Silverstein explained.
He says new technologies have also contributed to easier access via fobs and remotes replacing conventional keys. In many instances, it also cuts down on the length of time needed to get a stolen car on the road.
The CAA and other auto organizations have been lobbying manufacturers to work on some of those challenges to reduce theft, but the solutions are not expected to be quickly implemented.
“That’s a long-term goal, but in the short term, we do want drivers to be more vigilant and take the time they need to keep their car safe based on their personal environment, because it is a shared responsibility right now,” Silverstein explained.
Recommended deterrents include using a steering wheel lock, putting vehicles into a garage, installing motion sensors and cameras in driveways and leaving an air tag in a vehicle to track it.
“If you have two vehicles … park the lesser valued vehicle closer to the boulevard,” Silverstein said. “It creates a bit of a barrier to get access to the other car.”
– with files from Eric Stober and The Canadian Press
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