They are called “crimes of opportunity,” unlocked vehicles stolen from driveways as owners leave them running to warm up. Your clients may think that their neighbourhood is safe, but the numbers argue against it.
Just last week, York Regional police issued a warning to residents after five “warm up thefts” in two hours during the morning of January 20. Warm up thefts happen when drivers leave their cars idling and unlocked while they warm up in their driveways.
According to York Regional Police, three Honda CRVs, a BMW 325i and a Toyota Camry were stolen from residences in Richmond Hill and Vaughan,
“With the deep freeze that we usually experience around this time of year, it’s not unusual to have clients leave their cars unlocked to warm,” says Alex Walker national claims director for RSA. “That can be a type of behaviour that brokers work to change, by sharing the statistics of how many thefts there are involving keys. Between December 2013 and February 2014 alone, 269 passenger vehicles and pickup trucks were stolen due to keys left either in the ignition or elsewhere in the passenger compartment.”
Sharing those numbers with your clients might make them think twice about leaving their car warming up unattended.
“It’s also important to remind clients to be vigilant of their surroundings,” says Walker. “When thieves have a specific type of vehicle on their radar, they often watch the owners’ behavior for days and weeks before making their move. So it’s essential for people to make note of suspicious behavior and adjust their habits accordingly.”
Older vehicles are targeted
The introduction of key fobs makes stealing an unattended car more difficult for thieves, who are now turning their attention to older models. (continued.)
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GM Chevrolet trucks and sport utility vehicles released in the late 1990s and early 2000s are most popular with auto thieves, because after 2005, advanced technology and digitalized key fobs have made it more difficult to start vehicles without the fobs.
The Manitoba solution
Since 2007, vehicles deemed to be ‘most-at-risk’ and registered in Winnipeg or used to commute into Winnipeg have had to be equipped with an approved immobilizer. Approved vehicle immobilizers are designed to prevent vehicles from being operated without vehicle keys and/or immobilizer key fobs. However these devices cannot protect vehicles from being stolen if the vehicle ignition is left running or the keys are not secured.
More than 98 percent of those ‘most-at-risk’ vehicles are now protected against theft through the installation of approved after-market immobilizers. Since 2007, all new vehicles manufactured for sale in Canada have required approved factory-installed immobilizers.
Vehicles with keys in the ignition, or within the passenger compartment are quickly identified as prime targets by auto thieves.
“Auto theft is a crime of opportunity,” says Walker. “By eliminating the opportunity, you eliminate the crime. If your clients must warm up their car, it’s important to remind them to not leave their vehicle unattended unless they do have a keyless remote starter, proximity key and or an immobilizer.”
It may be cold comfort for your clients, but with the recent string of warm up thefts it is worth reminding them that an unlocked vehicle warming up in the driveway is an invitation for crime.
