Melbourne drivers reverting to old-school steering wheel locks

More drivers are arming themselves with traditional club locks in a bid to deter thieves in Melbourne's suburbs.

Car retailers have told 9News they are selling out of the product across the city.

The traditional club lock acts as a visual deterrent which adds an extra layer of security when your car is parked.

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"They are in very high demand at the moment," Repco's James Collier said.

"They are popular with the crime rate currently, many people are opting to use the old school way."

More than 15,000 motor vehicles were stolen in Victoria last year, a slight jump on the previous year.

But it's aggravated burglaries in suburbs like Toorak, South Yarra and Brighton that have soared.

Melbourne man Robert Cinanni has been a keen user of the devices since he inherited his grandfather' Kingswood.

"My friends used to laugh at me when I was younger. Now the tables have turned a bit," he said.

"I use it to secure my car and make sure no one steals it."

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Experts say it's harder to physically steal a car when there is a steering wheel lock attached.

"It's a deterrent, it slows the thieves down and it's actually a pretty good idea," director of content at Drive James Ward said.

"These slow down an opportunistic thief.

"If someone sees a car with steering wheel lock on it, odds are they will go to the next car that doesn't have one."

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