Should I leave my car unlock next year? VOTE

[Flat]

I am getting ready to move into an appartment on campus. This will be my first year on my own, the previous years I was living with family.

My mother told me I should keep nothing in my car and leave it unlocked, so that if someone does break into my car, there is nothing to steal and nothing is damaged trying to get in.

My unlce told me however, that a homeless man had slept in one of his roomates car and basically ruined it (could not get the smell out ).

So what do you think? I think they both have excellent points. My appartment has off street parking, but it is pretty close to a bar parking lot.

 

[junglebeast]

Leaving your car unlocked would be an exercise in stupidity.

If you need to improve the stupidity of your brain, then go for it!

If your car is empty and it's a crap car (like most college students) then nobody will have any incentive to break in. Don't GIVE them any.

 

[lisab]

Leaving the car empty and open was company policy where my step-dad used to work. It was effective, I guess.

You could switch to a car that would not be appealing to a homeless person...maybe a very, very small one, or...?

But before making this decision, maybe you could contact the college campus police department to see what they recommend.

 

[Count Iblis]

I am getting ready to move into an appartment on campus. This will be my first year on my own, the previous years I was living with family.

My mother told me I should keep nothing in my car and leave it unlocked, so that if someone does break into my car, there is nothing to steal and nothing is damaged trying to get in.

My unlce told me however, that a homeless man had slept in one of his roomates car and basically ruined it (could not get the smell out ).

So what do you think? I think they both have excellent points. My appartment has off street parking, but it is pretty close to a bar parking lot.

You should have gone to Japan for your studies. In Japan people do not lock their cars or homes, there are no burglars there.

 

[negitron]

In Japan people do not lock their cars or homes, there are no burglars there.

Bullcrap.

 

[Evo]

I am getting ready to move into an appartment on campus. This will be my first year on my own, the previous years I was living with family.

My mother told me I should keep nothing in my car and leave it unlocked, so that if someone does break into my car, there is nothing to steal and nothing is damaged trying to get in.

My unlce told me however, that a homeless man had slept in one of his roomates car and basically ruined it (could not get the smell out ).

So what do you think? I think they both have excellent points. My appartment has off street parking, but it is pretty close to a bar parking lot.

Lock it. Do you have a radio? Gone. Some thieves will strip everything they can out of the car. An unlocked car is an invitation to vandalism.

 

[rootX]

Lock it!

@Japan:

Acquitted 73 [27th of 30]
Assault victims 0.1% [21st of 20]
Car thefts 62,673 [9th of 46]
Drug offences 26,477 per 100,000 people [10th of 46]
Executions 9 executions [10th of 22]
Kidnappings 205 kidnappings [11th of 39]
Murders 637 [22nd of 49]
Murders with firearms 47 [20th of 36]
Perception of safety > Walking in dark 78% [7th of 15]
Police 231,700 [5th of 47]
Prisoners 69,502 prisoners [7th of 168]
Prisoners > Per capita 54 per 100,000 people [126th of 164]
Rape victims 0.1% [19th of 20]
Rapes 2,357 [11th of 50]
Robberies 6,984 [18th of 47]
Software piracy rate 23% [104th of 107]
Suicide rates in ages 15-24 8.6 per 100,000 people [13th of 17]
Suicide rates in ages 25-34 14.1 per 100,000 people [11th of 17]
Total crime victims 15.2% [20th of 20]
Total crimes 2,853,739 [4th of 50]

http://www.nationmaster.com/country/ja-japan/cri-crime

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

You should have gone to Japan for your studies. In Japan people do not lock their cars or homes, there are no burglars there.

When I got my first apartment in Tokyo, my friend's mother told me to make sure I kept the place locked when not at home because burglars come in and out of the houses like cockroaches in that neighborhood. I asked my friend what she could have meant since I 'knew' that Japan was free of such doings. He told me that there had been a burglary in the neighborhood twenty years earlier and his mother had never gotten over it. Lock the car.

 

[Sorry!]

I know people who do not lock their vehicles and just keep nothing valuable in their cars... most times kids come and just steal the change nothing much maybe a few dollars. However I don't think your insurance will cover you if you leave your vehicle unlocked and unattended in a parking lot...

 

[rootX]

My employer
-bought a new expensive car
-and used to keep it unlocked

and one day someone stole it... Then,

-he bought a cheap used car
-and keeps it locked

 

[cristo]

Should I leave my car unlock next year?

Yes.. but please PM me your address

 

[Pupil]

Is a cheap car alarm out of the question? Have you spoken to the police that patrol the campus?

Buy a pit bull, stick him in the car, and leave the window down a bit for air.

 

[Count Iblis]

About Japan, http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/08/international/asia/08LOST.html?pagewanted=all"

 

[Redbelly98]

My mother told me I should keep nothing in my car and leave it unlocked, so that if someone does break into my car, there is nothing to steal and nothing is damaged trying to get in.

Well, here is something to consider. Would you always remember never to leave anything in the car? Because if you forget and leave something in it from time to time, you could be in trouble.

I've always been in the habit of locking my car. AND I have two spare car keys, one in my wallet and one in a drawer at home. Once in a while I lock my keys in the car, and that spare wallet key is a lifesaver.

Good luck

 

[xxChrisxx]

You realize that not taking every reasonable precaution (i.e. locking it) voids pretty much every insurance policy.

So if they nick something (radio etc) you have no comeback, if they nick the car and the police find it and no sign of damage, then you lose both your car and policy.

EDIT: You could always do what one of my friends did. He bought a proper shed (honestly it looked like it should have been scrapped 10 years earlier) and got so sick of it he left it open, keys inside, with a note saying 'please steal me'.

Sadly no one did.

 

[lisab]

(Playing devil's advocate here...)

Given that there is *simply a plate of glass* between a thief and his/her desires, locking the car simply adds the cost of a window to the loss.

 

[negitron]

You realize that not taking every reasonable precaution (i.e. locking it) voids pretty much every insurance policy.

Incorrect:

http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=10807882&nav=menu128_2

Insurance agents like Reese say claims on all kinds of items stolen from the car, get filed under the homeowner's policy. And rarely would it matter if the vehicle was left unlocked.

"I can't think of any situation where they would not pay the claim based upon leaving the vehicle unlocked," said Reese.

 

[xxChrisxx]

Incorrect:

http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=10807882&nav=menu128_2

Perhaps I should have added that its not legal advice. I'm from the UK, and over here there is always a clause that you need to do everything you can to secure your property. Thats why premiums are typically lowered if you fit a decent alarm/immobiliser etc.

It also ways that its claimed "get filed under the homeowner's policy", does that mean home contents insurance extends to the car. Or is it just referring to the person.

 

[Danger]

Locking is not an option; it's the only logical approach. Even if you have nothing to steal within the car, leaving it unlocked just makes it that much easier to steal the car itself. It might be almost worthless as a vehicle, but it brings in significant bucks as scrap metal.
My buddy here pulled off an awesome coupe a few years ago. He had a truck that wasn't particularly hard to break into, so there wasn't too much point in going into elaborate security measures. The main target at the time was radios/CD players. He removed the unit, ground the edges of the mounting hole to razor sharpness, and reinstalled the CD/radio. A couple of days later, he returned to his truck to find the entire interior sprayed with blood and his radio lying on the floor.

 

[rootX]

(Playing devil's advocate here...)

Given that there is *simply a plate of glass* between a thief and his/her desires, locking the car simply adds the cost of a window to the loss.

One relevant hypothetical situation:
If government puts 90% tax on the consumers but returns all the money back, would there be any difference in the consumer demand?

 

[cristo]

It also ways that its claimed "get filed under the homeowner's policy", does that mean home contents insurance extends to the car.

Yes, it means thefts from a vehicle are covered under the home contents insurance. This is the same in the UK: goods stolen from a secured place are generally covered under the home contents insurance unless they are of considerable value. Though, I don't believe the link above. I can't see an insurance company paying out if you leave your car open.

 

[Pengwuino]

L A couple of days later, he returned to his truck to find the entire interior sprayed with blood and his radio lying on the floor.

and this was worth it ...how?

 

[turbo]

He removed the unit, ground the edges of the mounting hole to razor sharpness, and reinstalled the CD/radio. A couple of days later, he returned to his truck to find the entire interior sprayed with blood and his radio lying on the floor.

It wouldn't be so fun to find out that the thief had been an HIV-positive junkie trying to feed his habit with petty theft. Especially if your friend nicked his fingers during the re-install.

 

[Danger]

and this was worth it ...how?

Are you kidding? Not only did it save his radio, it gave the guy serious second thoughts about breaking into people's vehicles, it put the word on the street to not touch my friend's stuff, and it gave far more DNA evidence than was necessary to nail the guy's *** to the wall for forcible entry and attempted theft.

edit: (Hey! The newest Safari download renewed my ability to edit!)
Just caught your post after mine, Turbo. My buddy is a Fire Captain and EMS worker. He doesn't take any chances with stray blood.

 

[Sorry!]

Yes, it means thefts from a vehicle are covered under the home contents insurance. This is the same in the UK: goods stolen from a secured place are generally covered under the home contents insurance unless they are of considerable value. Though, I don't believe the link above. I can't see an insurance company paying out if you leave your car open.

I have family in the insurance business. Was at their house on the weekend and this actually came up in a discussion. She said that the car-insurance company will not pay out if you leave your vehicle unlocked. Of course they have to find out that itw as unlocked in the first place. Why risk it though, with most cars all it takes is the click of a small button... even the older vehicles ooooooo wow you have to turn a key... I don't see how it makes any sense at all to leave it unlocked while you are somewheres other than your home where it could be in your garage

 

[negitron]

He removed the unit, ground the edges of the mounting hole to razor sharpness, and reinstalled the CD/radio. A couple of days later, he returned to his truck to find the entire interior sprayed with blood and his radio lying on the floor.

Depending on the law where you live, this type of action may be illegal and/or grounds for a civil lawsuit. And, yes, such suits have been successful even in cases where the "victim" was clearly guilty of a criminal act which exposed him to the trap which injured him, at least here in the US.

 

[phyzmatix]

Locking is not an option; it's the only logical approach. Even if you have nothing to steal within the car, leaving it unlocked just makes it that much easier to steal the car itself. It might be almost worthless as a vehicle, but it brings in significant bucks as scrap metal.
My buddy here pulled off an awesome coupe a few years ago. He had a truck that wasn't particularly hard to break into, so there wasn't too much point in going into elaborate security measures. The main target at the time was radios/CD players. He removed the unit, ground the edges of the mounting hole to razor sharpness, and reinstalled the CD/radio. A couple of days later, he returned to his truck to find the entire interior sprayed with blood and his radio lying on the floor.

There was a story where I lived of a guy who got fed-up with having his car repeatedly broken into so he caught himself a puff adder, gift-wrapped it nicely and left the parcel on the passenger seat...

 

[Loren Booda]

Make sure to leave the keys in the ignition for the valet.

 

[Danger]

Depending on the law where you live, this type of action may be illegal and/or grounds for a civil lawsuit. And, yes, such suits have been successful even in cases where the "victim" was clearly guilty of a criminal act which exposed him to the trap which injured him, at least here in the US.

To start with, in this case, the 'victim' would have to prove that the sharpness of the edges was not only deliberate, but had been performed by the owner. Having had my arms sliced to ribbons several times while extracting lock cylinders through door panels in my capacity as a locksmith, I can say for sure that factory metal edges are no treat either. It would be impossible to prove who was responsible. (I only knew about it because he told me when he did it, which was a couple of days before the idiot tried to rip him off.)
While I was still living with W, my house got broken into. They broke open my safe, stole my beautiful (fully dressed) picture of my friend Lori Wagner (Penthouse Pet of the Century), my poster of an F-15 Strike Eagle that was over my bed, my spare picks, my safe manuals, and totally trashed my house.
After I moved back into it, I still spend most of my time at W's place (but Lucifer T. Cat is still there full time). Someone broke in again, while I was away for the day. (I usually sleep at home; I'm just gone until after the Colbert Report.)
It was a different RCMP officer who attended the second break-in. Not only do I know the name, address and phone number of one of the original culprits, but I put the word on the street, and told the constable, that the next person who breaks into my place will be killed. Although this isn't something normal to Canadian law, the officer told me to go for it as long as the bastard was forcibly in my home.

Love the puff adder story, Fizzy. Thats actually standard practice for drug dealers. One of the scariest moments of my life was when the RCMP asked me to open the trunk of a Lincoln that had been confiscated from a dealer. As soon as I picked the sucker, the first thing was to check for trip wires or other booby-trap techniques. Same damned thing when they asked me to open a briefcase with a combination lock. Turned out that there was nothing hazardous in either, but it sure ramped up the pucker factor during the jobs.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Leave it locked and make sure there is nothing of value in the car. That includes any sort of stereo system or cd player. If you have a nice stereo in your car make sure it is the kind that allows you to remove the face plate and don't get any expensive gear like woofers or what ever all that crap is called.

Breaking a window may be easy but it makes noise and draws attention. No one wants to run that sort of risk unless there is at least something of value in the car. Someone once broke into my car just to steal my $20 discman. So anything of value means anything at all.

Edit: currently my car window is stuck in the down position and I can not fix it. So far I have not had anyone try to get into it that I know of but I still keep the doors locked so it won't be so simple for them to break in.

 

[BobG]

I own a Jeep with a soft top. Half the time in the summer, I have no doors to lock. Even with the doors on and the top up, I leave the Jeep unlocked. The smart thief would unzip the windows, which can't be locked. The stupid thief would cut through the top with a knife, running up far more money in damages than just a broken window.

Yes, my Jeep has been broken into. In fact, the glove box doesn't lock any more because of the damage done breaking into it. Aside from the damage of that break-in, there's been a couple other instances where the contents of my center console have been strewn about the interior.

All in all, my Jeep has been broken into at least 3 times (maybe 4 times, since my sunglasses finally disappeared - but I may have just misplaced them). The top and doors have been on all three times that I know the Jeep has been broken into.

If anyone has broken into my Jeep when the doors and top have been off, they've at least been neat about things and haven't left stuff strewn about.

Funny thing. I leave loose change sitting in plain site, but the change has never been stolen even during the three known break-ins.

 

[hypatia]

I have kill switches installed in my cars, I often leave them unlocked and empty of anything worth stealing.

 

[BobG]

Actually, I did a simple test last night that should provide some insight. I don't have any doors or windows on my Jeep right now. I left a 28" TV sitting in the back of the Jeep in plain sight. This morning, I'll see if anyone stole it.

(Oh, please, please steal that damn thing. I took it to a recycle center here in town, but they won't accept anything larger than 19". Now I have to call around and try to find someplace in town that will take this damn thing.)

 

[Borg]

When we were kids, a friend and I decided to see how many cars were unlocked one night on an entire street. We walked house to house and checked every car. About half were unlocked. Many of them had keys in the ignition and valuables lying around. And no, we didn't take anything.

 

[Pinu7]

Keep it unlocked and tell me where you've parked to, you know, guard it from those who tries to steal it.

 

[junglebeast]

Actually, I did a simple test last night that should provide some insight. I don't have any doors or windows on my Jeep right now. I left a 28" TV sitting in the back of the Jeep in plain sight. This morning, I'll see if anyone stole it.

(Oh, please, please steal that damn thing. I took it to a recycle center here in town, but they won't accept anything larger than 19". Now I have to call around and try to find someplace in town that will take this damn thing.)

I don't know where you live, but that TV would be gone before you can look around where I live. For example if you ride a bicycle, it WILL be stolen within a week. Period.

 

[Moonbear]

Lock it. There are vandals who will just wander about parking lots occasionally giving a car door handle a pull. If an alarm goes off or it's locked, they keep walking. If the door opens, they've just found a car to take on a joyride. Even if you keep nothing valuable in the car, the car itself is valuable. If you keep nothing of value in sight, vandals have less reason to want to risk being noticed breaking into your car compared to one with a fancy stereo or other valuables left out on the seat, but if you don't bother locking it, even the crappy factory-installed radio is worth something to them when it's easy pickings.

The exception is if you have a vehicle that's super-easy to break into anyway...like a canvas-topped convertible or a jeep with the plastic windows they'll just slash through with a knife without anyone hearing a thing. Shattering glass gets people's attention, however.

 

[Moonbear]

Actually, I did a simple test last night that should provide some insight. I don't have any doors or windows on my Jeep right now. I left a 28" TV sitting in the back of the Jeep in plain sight. This morning, I'll see if anyone stole it.

(Oh, please, please steal that damn thing. I took it to a recycle center here in town, but they won't accept anything larger than 19". Now I have to call around and try to find someplace in town that will take this damn thing.)

It sucks when you can't even get someone to steal a TV. Same for when you have an old car that costs more in repair bills every month and the car dealer just laughs when you inquire about a trade-in. THAT is when you want to leave the car unlocked and don't even bother reporting it to your insurance if it's stolen.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Hey Moonbear, are you back?

Start a thread and tell us all about your trip.

 

[BobG]

No one fell for it and my TV was still sitting in the back of the Jeep this morning. Do you think it's too obvious?

 

[russ_watters]

Put a "for sale" sign on it...

 

[Moonbear]

Stick it out at the curb the night before trash collection with a sign that says "free" on it. I've gotten rid of all sorts of stuff that the trash collectors would have refused to haul away without paying extra. There are plenty of garage sale junkies who can't resist something sitting out for free.

 

[Count Iblis]

It would be fun to install a hidden GPS transmitter inside the car and then let it be stolen. Then you track the car to see where it ends up.

 

[Danger]

Up here, the police plant 'bait' cars in parking lots and on the street. They're the kinds most likely to be broken into and/or stolen, such as Mercedes or high-ticket rice rockets. Then they set up surveillance teams in the area. The cars are equipped with both tracking devices and remote control engine disablers. You wouldn't believe how many idiots they catch with those things.

 

[Redbelly98]

I think that could be considered entrapment in the U.S.

 

[Cyrus]

Why don't you just go to a police station and ask them this question...

I mean, really. I think they might be able to help you out here better than any of us can.

 

[Danger]

I think that could be considered entrapment in the U.S.

I'm not all that up on US law, but I doubt that. I think that in order for 'entrapment' to be implemented, one has to actively entice the target to perform a criminal act.

 

[Cyrus]

It would be fun to install a hidden GPS transmitter inside the car and then let it be stolen. Then you track the car to see where it ends up.

It's called low jack. The police helicopters can follow your stolen car if it has it.

 

[drizzle]

is it a big deal to lock your tank …uh I mean car

 

[Danger]

If that last question was directed at me, I don't have even a latch, never mind a lock, on the rear window of my topper. You just lift it up, pop the main latch, and drop the tailgate. There's nothing in there to steal, though, and no access to the cab other than through the slider. I also keep the thing in low-range when parked, so anybody who manages to overcome the standard GM steering column lock to steal the thing can't drive over 30 mph. It wouldn't take long to catch them. Besides, this is Danny Danger's car. They know that if I catch them, I'll make them wish that they were dead.