It’s 2019. Is it really that hard? Do they even make cars anymore that don’t have an all–doors lock device on the driver’s side of the car? One click of a button on your way out the door, and your car is locked up.

So why do I keep hearing people complaining about their cars being broken in to and/or stolen. Technically, most of the thefts aren’t really “breaking into” anything. They’re simply opening the door that people leave unlock, and then rummaging through the glove compartment, under the seats, and maybe even the trunk. Week after week, I see a posting from someone on our Nextdoor app in my neighborhood area, who have either had their car ransacked, or someone who knows of someone else who did; or someone whose home security video camera captured people in the act of going through cars. I would say the majority of those who post actually admit to leaving their cars unlocked!

But why?

I think there are three kinds of people who leave their car doors unlocked on their house; whether it’s in their driveway or on the street. 

The Forgetful One! These are the people who either have so much on their minds, they forget the small stuff. Maybe they’re trying to get the groceries and the kids inside, and they forget to take care of that too. Or perhaps they really are just scatterbrains who don’t even think about locking the doors when they get out.

Then there’s the Lazy One! These are the people who are just too lazy to stop and lock their doors; as if pressing a button exerts so much energy out of you that you just can’t bring yourself to do it. They are the ones who get inside their apartment, remember that they didn’t lock the door, but are too lazy to go back outside to take care of it. They would rather take a chance that no one will break into it than to put their shoes back on, walk back outside and go lock their door.

And finally, the Arrogant One! They are the people who convince themselves that no one is going to break into their car; as if that’s a dare to anyone considering it. Despite the statistics, they actually believe that their neighborhood is so safe and crime-free, that “stuff like that” just doesn’t happen there.

In my hometown, the Metro Police statistics showed that in 2018, car thefts were up by 200 percent! The police statistics further report that the majority of the stolen vehicles not only had unlocked doors, but 60% of the stolen vehicles were left with the keys inside the car! In some cases, the car was literally left unlocked and running!

You have to know that you’re inviting someone to come in, go through your stuff, and take what they want!

There was an artist who had their car stolen while they were unloading it for a show in town. The artist claimed they were only gone for a moment, but their definition of a “moment” was 20 minutes! What clock are they looking at when they think “it happened in the blink of an eye,” is the same thing as leaving your car unattended, unlocked, and with keys inside for 20 minutes? I can leave my house and drive to work in that amount of time!

I don’t know about you, but I work way too hard for the things I have to make it that easy for someone to steal my stuff; especially my car! But as if losing a car to theft isn’t bad enough, I’m even more surprised every time I hear about a home break-in where the homeowners either left a window or a door unlocked, or they didn’t have a security system.

I’ll be the first one to say that if someone really wants what you have inside, an alarm system isn’t going to keep them from breaking in. If that were the case, no banks, expensive art galleries, or gun shops would ever get burglarized. But it can slow them down; may make them rethink the risk, and notifies law enforcement when t happens. Over the past week, a popular entertainment news show that I watch reported that there has been a rise in the number of burglaries in Los Angeles. Every time I heard about another celebrity break-in, they did not appear to have an alarm system inter home. And I don’t get that. Certainly they can’t argue they don’t have the money to pay to secure their property? And especially for celebrities and sports figures who broadcast times when they’re out of town, either online, or simply by knowledge of a musician on tour or an athlete playing an away game! So not investing a few hundred dollars a month for a top of the line security alarm system just baffles me. Even for the rest of us, those who can afford a few less trips to Starbucks or the movie theater in order to pay for a system, there’s just no excuse not to have one. And when you do, ARM IT!

And I have visited multiple people who have alarm systems that they don’t actually arm. Others make jokes about their Smith & Wesson, or large German Shepherd. But you can’t use your gun on someone if you’re not even home when it happens. And the only thing your neighbor is going to think about your barking dog is about how annoying they are. Mostly, I think it goes back to the Arrogant One. They live in a false sense of security where if they think since no one’s broken in yet, then no one’s ever going to. Or back to the wrong belief that their neighborhood is rich enough, safe enough, that they don’t have to worry about stuff like that. Which brings me back to celebrities; some who even live in gated communities, who get robbed. How hard is it, really, to set up an alarm system for your home?

Personally, I can think of a lot of things I would like to be doing with my money each month, other than paying for my alarm system. But for me, it’s worth the investment for the peace of mind when I’m at home, that if someone does try to break in, I’ll at least be alerted and able to take necessary steps. And also the peace of mind when I’m away, that if someone breaks in, the police are alerted (plus the best, noisy neighbor one could ask for), and hopefully get there before they get away. If nothing else than perhaps a preventive measure for the thief who can so easily break into someone else’s home with out having to worry about tripping an alarm and trying to get away.

Did you know that there are some insurance companies that won’t pay out a claim if they find out that you left your keys in the car, your car doors were unlocked; or for some, you own an alarm system that you didn’t have set when the burglary happened?

So, lock your doors people!