Vehicle thefts in N.B. pave way for double-digit insurance rate hikes

Nicole Wilby's Jeep Grand Cherokee hasn't moved for the past few weeks. The rims and body of the vehicle are dented, scratched and covered in mud.  

The rearview mirror has also been ripped off, and the cord that connected it to the vehicle has been torched. 

Wilby is waiting to get the Jeep in for repairs, but for now, she's happy to have it back.

Her vehicle was stolen from her driveway in a quiet downtown Fredericton cul-de-sac late last month, and the theft was caught on camera.

"I noticed that at 4:45 a.m., there was a video of someone just literally driving away," Wilby said. "There is no break-in, no rummaging around the car, just it starting and driving away."

That same night, Wilby's neighbour recorded someone approaching his driveway, then disappearing, then appearing  again walking away. Wilby and her neighbour believe this individual was holding what's known as a Wi-Fi jammer, which blocks the signal for surveillance systems such as theirs.

"There's nothing before, they're just in the car and driving away," she said of what the video shows. "It was an alarming feeling and was really unsettling."

It's a feeling that has been growing in New Brunswick as thefts become more sophisticated, sometimes outsmarting security systems on properties, or removing things such as rearview mirrors, which can hold smart technologies for tracking and monitoring. 

According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, car thefts have tripled in New Brunswick in the last 10 years, with nearly 2,000 vehicle thefts last year in RCMP territory alone. 

In the latest data from the New Brunswick Insurance Board, there were more than 534,000 vehicles on the road in the province.  

Earlier this year, major auto insurers, including Personal, Certas, Wawanesa and Primmum won double-digit rate increases from the New Brunswick Insurance Board, citing, in part, rising car thefts. 

Michèle Pelletier, New Brunswick's consumer advocate for insurance, said any double-digit increase is "a big increase," especially the 18 per cent hikes for Personal and Certas.

"When we see rising claims, it's all of us that are going to pay for it," she said. "It's many insurers that pay for a few claims. So we're all put in the same bag, and then it's divided. So it's very unfortunate."

Pelletier said there are more than 30 insurers in New Brunswick, so it's always best to shop around and compare prices.