Everyone Can Help Fight Auto Theft

A Few Simple Precautions is All it Takes

A professional thief can steal your car in about 30 seconds – without a key. It’s really that easy. But there are few simple precautions that you can take to help make the thief’s target a little harder to reach:

1. Always roll up your car windows, lock the doors and pocket the key.
2. Keep your vehicle registration certificate and proof of insurance on you at all times – not in the glove box.
3. Never leave valuable objects or packages in full view. Put them in the trunk.
4. Don't leave the keys in the ignition, even while getting gas. Approximately 20% of stolen cars have keys in them.
5. Always park in a well lit and busy area.
6. Protect your car with an IBC-approved that meets the strict Canadian Standards. However, please be aware that it has been proven that the installation of aftermarket remote starting systems (including those installed at new car dealers) can seriously compromise the effectiveness of immobilization systems. You may be trading the complete protection of your car for a convenience. Make sure to ask if they are compatible.
7. Have the parts of your car marked. Parts marking will render your car less attractive to thieves who like to chop up old cars and sell the parts (“chop shops”).
8. Prevent thieves from towing your car; park with your wheels turned sharply and apply the emergency brake.
9. Give only your ignition key to a parking lot attendant. Keep your other keys with you.
10. If you have a garage, use it and lock the door as well as your car.

Lock It or Lose It!

IBC has teamed up with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to remind drivers to take these precautions. As part of the Lock It or Lose It! program, volunteers and OPP officers visit community parking lots across the province. They're on the lookout for drivers who leave valuables in plain view, leave the engine running unattended or leave doors unlocked. In each case the Lock It or Lose It! team leaves a notice under the car's windshield wiper to remind the driver to better secure the vehicle in the future.