The vehicle theft crisis in Canada has increasingly worsened, causing alarm among citizens according to a new report by Équité Association. A survey from the anti-insurance crime organization found that 84% of Canadians are concerned with the increase in auto thefts across the country, linking it to a rise in crime within their communities. Additionally, 69% admitted to being worried about their safety, including the safety of their families, considering the rise in theft cases.
Équité Association also found that the provinces experiencing the highest rates of auto theft continue to be Ontario and Quebec. Theft in Ontario has seen a 31% year-over-year increase in the first half of 2023, while Quebec posted a 17% year-over-year increase in the same period. In 2022, the Honda CR-V topped the top 10 stolen vehicle list for second year in a row, with about 5,620 thefts in 2022, with the Dodge RAM 1500 series following in second with 2,600 thefts.
According to a recent report, the national vehicle recovery rate currently stands at 57%, with Ontario at 46% and Quebec at 38%, having the lowest provincial recovery rates. The lower rates in both provinces suggests that stolen vehicles are shipped overseas, primarily through the Port of Montreal, or their Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) are being altered resale within Canada.
There have been proposed immediate solutions to address the crisis in the short term, including prioritizing stolen vehicles at the country’s ports, and strengthening information-sharing between Public Safety, CBSA and Équité Association.
“This problem won’t be fixed in isolation, it requires government, law enforcement, auto manufacturers, and the insurance industry to work together to help protect Canadians.”
Have you ever thought about what you might do if your vehicle is stolen? You wake up one morning and it’s gone – vanished! How will you get to work? What about the school run? When will you get it back (if you do)?
The above questions are a worry to any vehicle owner and not to mention the hassle of dealing with a stolen vehicle. You should first inform the police and your insurance company and if your vehicle is recovered you will have 14 days to pick it up and pay any storage costs, otherwise it will be disposed of. This is before your insurance decides to pay out in accordance with your policy cover, and sometimes it may not be to the value of your vehicle. So, not only will you be facing a huge inconvenience, but it will also be costly to you because someone else decided to take your prized asset.
Because of this, it’s a huge advantage to fit a stolen vehicle tracker to your vehicle. The ScorpionTrack S5 tracker comes with 24/7 monitoring, and in the event of theft, the ScorpionTrack Monitoring Team will liaise with the police using their live location tracking to help recover your vehicle.