Keep Car Keys In Sight: MPI

Officials at MPI are reminding drivers to keep an eye on their car keys. The public insurer reports that thieves stole almost 300 vehicles  in the province last year because drivers left their keys inside.

Although Manitoba made immobilizers mandatory for certain models last year, they seem to be giving some drivers a false sense of security, says Donna Roed, manager of the public insurer’s auto crime prevention unit. ““All of these thefts were preventable,” she said in a March 10 statement. “These protected vehicles cannot be stolen without the keys and thieves look for opportunities to obtain them.”

Even though the stolen vehicles had immobilizers, the keys had been left either in the ignition or a glove compartment. Another 114 stolen vehicles also stemmed from  key access: the thieves had taken them from owners’ homes or their purses or jackets left in public places.