A few months ago I made an article about stolen vehicles stats from 2014 to 2016. Well, 2017 numbers are already out, once again, thanks to the IBC report. As expected, the most sold vehicle in Canada, the Ford F-Series makes it still on the top of the lists.
Top 10 Stolen Vehicles in Canada during 2017
- 2015 Lexus GX460 4DR AWD SUV
- 2007 Ford F350 SD 4WD Pickup
- 2006 Ford F350 SD 4WD Pickup
- 2005 Ford F350 SD 4WD Pickup
- 2001 Ford F350 SD 4WD Pickup
- 2003 Ford F350 SD 4WD Pickup
- 2004 Ford F350 SD 4WD Pickup
- 2016 Toyota 4Runner 4WD SUV
- 2002 Ford F350 SD 4WD Pickup
- 2006 Ford F250 SD 4WD Pickup
Mostly Old Vehicles, But Some New Ones
It is kind of scary to know that, after more than ten years that engine immobilizers were created, still some hi-tech devices can "replace" and reproduce the secret authorization that keyfobs give to the vehicle. In fact, all radio signals can be cloned and replaced at some point. There is an interesting article from CBC Canada about this topic.
Once again, new cars are less likely to be stolen and way less vulnerable to thieves, but still, not entirely secure. I don't want to scare anyone, just show the facts and share some advice.
- Always lock the doors: Some thieves just walk by pulling up doors handles of every single car on the street.
- Store your Keys at more than 10 meters from the car: Your car will be less likely to be open by "accident" or to reproduce.
- Always put the Parking Brake: I've seen cars being towed with the parking brake on. It is like if a vehicle would be driving around hard-breaking all the time. Probably not a good idea for thieves to tow a car around like this.
- Don't leave valuable things visible: Any "plus" can make the thieve select your car among the hundreds on the road. Avoid this.
- If you park downhill, lock your wheels pointing to the sidewalk: And do the opposite (point to the road) when parking uphill. Lock the wheels right after.
