Quote:
Originally Posted by miami_fan
Like Lathum said, it is not as uncommon as you might think. I knew a guy who would never lock his car door. His rational was he preferred to just pay for the replacement of whatever was in the car than to pay for the replacement of what was in the car and a broken window and/or a damaged lock. Outside of that I would say the goal for most Americans is to live in a town/neighborhood where you don't have to lock the car and house doors. For many, if they have to start locking their doors, the neighborhood has gone to crap and it is time to move to a better place.
I think this is a common debate around crime/crime prevention. It's the "People should not be committing crimes" crowd vs. the "People need to take all the security precautions and deserve what they get if they don't" crowd.
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I am very surprised at the answers here that many don't lock their cars. I can't think of anyone I've gone anywhere with that did not lock the car when we got out, and I do live in that "small town". Like dubb93's example we don't log many arrests either, but there are stories of "did you hear someone got into Joe's house or car and ... "(Joe is the guy that tells you "I never lock my car/house). There is no arrest but there was a crime. Is it a big risk to not lock up in my town? No, I could probably go that route every day and never have a problem, but why when locking up takes as much effort as putting on a seatbelt to drive? It's ingrained and something that is done without thought.
If you're right and many don't lock their car I'd argue that helps me since I do. I'd think most thieve first step is to try the door handle to see if the car is locked. If it is they simply try the next car, ie the path of least resistance. I'd say my second point of defense, that means my windows don't get broke, is nothing of value is ever visible in my car by just looking through a window. If a thief is breaking my window they are doing so blindly hoping they find something of value. Again I don't see this as likely when there are many other cars available that offer a better target. So thank you to those that leave the door unlocked and valuables where they can be seen.
The only thing I've ever had stolen from my car was a battery. 1967 Malibu, no hood release inside those old cars, just the lever behind the grill. I was parked at the bowling alley for league night.
Lighted parking lot, but kind of dim back in the 80's. They had to have just walked up to the car, opened the hood and removed it. That was in my small town. You tell the cops, they log it, and beings it's a small town and we all know each other they tell you the obvious, "you're probably SOL unless we get lucky".