I remember watching Nicolas Cage boost cars in “Gone in 60 Seconds” and thought that was pretty entertaining.  But knowing that it is happening more and more in this country is a bit concerning.  I am not the only one thinking that way either.  Latest survey showed that over 80% of Canadians are concerned by increasing auto theft rates.

Canadians increasingly concerned over rising level of auto theft

 

Now if you are like me, you don’t have a garage and let’s face it, most people with a garage will use it for everything except the car, haha.  Now I am lucky in the fact that the vehicles I have are very unappealing to look at and likely not going to be the target if someone is looking for free wheels.  Reminds me of this post I saw about the 10 reasons why farm trucks are never stolen.

10. They have a range of about 20 miles before they overheat, breakdown or run out of gas.
9. Only the owner knows how to operate the door to get in or out.
8. It is difficult to drive fast with all the fence tools, grease rags, ropes, chains, syringes, buckets, boots and loose papers in the cab.
7. It takes too long to start and the smoke coming up through the rusted-out floorboard clouds your vision.
6. The Border Collie on the toolbox looks mean.
5. They’re too easy to spot. The description might go something like this: The driver’s side door is red, the passenger side door is green, the right front fender is yellow, etc.
4. The large round bale in the back makes it hard to see if you’re being chased. You could use the mirrors if they weren’t cracked and covered with duct tape.
3. Top speed is only about 45 mph.
2. Who wants a truck that needs a year’s worth of maintenance, u-joints, $3,000 in body work, tail-lights and windshield.
1. It is hard to commit a crime with everyone waving at you.

 

So what should you do to prevent your vehicle being stolen?  There are a number of things mentioned in this article that also lists Honda and Toyota as the most commonly stolen brands in the top 10 vehicles taken.  It seems when you hear a car alarm now, most people just curse the noise and wonder who set their alarm off by accident.  How many of you don’t even look around anymore to see if there is someone committing a crime at the sound of a car alarm?

A car is stolen every six minutes in Canada. Here’s how to protect your vehicle

• Keep your doors locked at all times
• Never leave your keys in the ignition switch
• Make sure the windows are completely closed
• Park in a well-lit area or a locked/secure garage, if possible
• Don’t leave your car unattended with the engine running, especially in the winter

 

There is another extreme way to make your vehicle less of a target too.  It kind of sides with the reason nobody will likely want what I drive, some of us are lucky enough to have our vehicles look like this naturally, HAHA.