Newton Patch reports that “a host of vehicles were broken into in Newton Highlands and Upper Falls, this weekend including along…
- Pennsylvania Avenue
- Bernard Street
- Winchester Street
- Indiana Terrace
- Christina Street
And here’s the part I don’t get, all of vehicles broken into were unlocked, police said.
Sssh – Don’t tell anyone … but we’ve never locked any of our cars. We just never leave valuables in them.
If you want to steal my car, you’ll need tools and you’ll need to pop the ignition lock. If you’re that motivated and skilled to steal my old car then the door lock won’t be much of an obstacle.
The only difference is if my old car IS stolen, when I get it back I’ll have only one lock to fix rather than two locks or a lock and a broken window.
@Jerry: Yes, I expected many people will say that they don’t lock their cars so as to avoid having their windows or locks broken. But the reality is, locked care aren’t the vehicles that consistently show up in the police reports.
For me I not only lock the doors because it is MY car. . . . . and I don’t want people stealing stuff, although the only “stuff” in my car is a few booster seats for the kids and less than $1 in change. I leave nothing in my car.
I lock the door for fear of someone crawling inside, and me not noticing them, and while I am driving they hurt/kill me.. . . . yes it is a fear. . . . but since I lock the door, I can make that fear something I don’t need to worry about as much.
The biggest question is why do people leave their cars unlocked and then leave valuables in them? For that matter, why leave valuables in an unattended car at all? I understand accidentally forgetting something, but why provide temptation?
Because the battery in the remote-lock key fob is dead?
Greg,
I bet not many people report break-ins of unlocked cars empty of valuables, either. What’s to report?
If you want to store valuables in your car, lock it. If you don’t want to lock your car, don’t store valuables.
Of the two strategies, not leaving valuables in the car is the better one. You can’t steal what isn’t there.
As Jerry explained, there’s good reason not to lock an empty car.
BTW – the unspoken part of my anti-theft strategy is carefully choosing an old beater of a car
Locking my car depends on where I am. My reasoning makes no sence, but when I’m parking in a driveway in a suburban neighborhood, I don’t lock it. When I’m just about anywhere else, I do. I don’t leave anything in my car, but have had 2 radios/cassette/CD players and a battery stolen over the last 30 years. When I was a kid, I had the wire rimmed hubcaps stolen from the same car twice and in the late 60’s when I lived in Newport, I had to get locks for my gas cap and my hood because vandals were stealing batteries and putting sugar in gas tanks.
I just heard a story this morning of a Newton guy (and Village14 reader) who woke up not too long ago to find that all four of the tires of the car in his driveway had been stolen during the night.
I should have asked him if it was locked at the time.
Our car was unlocked and broken into while sitting in our driveway. They only took loose change as we had nothing else valuable in the car. When we reported it ot the police, they let us know that Newton often gets targeted int he Spring/Summer. It doesn’t seem to be a random event. So, lock you cars!
And the 4 ties that were stolen that Jerry mentioned was my car as well – but a different event. The car was sitting in our driveway in Newton, the car was locked, so I guess they thought the tires were of value. At least they left the car sitting on wood logs…
Years back, a neighbor of ours had her car window smashed in. I don’t know if it was a smash-and-grab or just vandalism, but like others commented here, I generally leave my car doors unlocked and the valuables out of it, at least when it’s in the driveway overnight.