With auto thefts continuing to plague Ottawa drivers at a staggering rate, police are asking vehicle owners to do everything they can to protect their cars.

More than 1,200 automotive thefts have been reported in Ottawa in 2023 so far – that’s a rate of nearly four thefts every day.

At Derand Motorsport, they’re matching the pace of car thieves, installing that many anti-theft systems every day.

“We’ve done more this year than we have in the past 10 years,” says Aiden Derouchie at Derand.

“You can either do alarm system, immobilizers, you can do tracking, and the club is the famous one.”

Police say the best tip to protect your vehicle is to park it out of sight in a garage. Another method to deter thieves is to block in a valuable vehicle with a less desirable one.

“Vehicles that we are being seen targeted are high-end SUVs such as Lexus, Toyota RAV4s, and Honda CRVs,” says Mike Cudrasov of the Ottawa Police Service.

“To date, we don’t have any reports of vehicles actually being stolen from a garage. So that would be the safest option.”

The steering wheel club is considered the cheapest option to protect your vehicle.

“A club will not stop them from stealing it,” says Derouchie, who adds that most thieves cut through steering wheels in order to remove clubs now.

“But it definitely will prevent them [and make them think], ‘Hey, maybe I’ll look over this vehicle and go to the next one that’s easier’.”

External security measures, such as nighttime motion activated lights and home security cameras, are also recommended to scare away car thieves.

Ottawa police say they have recovered about a quarter of the vehicles reported stolen this year.

“This year alone, over 300 stolen vehicles have been recovered and returned to the rightful owner,” says Cudrasov.