KnitWit Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Years ago, when we lived in the PAC NW, I remember being surprised that people left their front doors unlocked and keys in the car ignition. I had moved there from a city in the south and it shocked me. It was kind of nice to think I *could* do that, but I never let myself. LOL! I just read in the prison break thread where a poster suggested that the OP might want to *pull her keys* from her car. Is this still common? We live *out* now, not in a city and no longer in the PAC NW, but if I left my keys in my car, it probably wouldn't be there when the sun rose the next day. Even in our *country neighborhood*, we have people cruising through here who do not belong. (It's a dead end too!) So...I'm just curious how many live in areas where you feel you can leave your keys in your ignition or your front door unlocked on a daily basis. I might want to move. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I don't leave my car keys in my car, but since I have a keyless entry option, I do have a back-up house key in my car, which has saved me a few times. It's probably not the safest thing to do, but I think having my backup key in a locked car is safer than having it under a fake rock or something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 No. :001_huh: But I grew up in a big city. You lock everything. :) Dh grew up in small towns. They never locked anything. We have conflict at times about whether or not something should be locked. ;) We live in a small city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 (edited) I have never left my keys in my car, and I always lock it. In 14 years, where we used to live in a suburb of Boston, we did not lock our doors. We could leave anything on the front lawn and it would not be stolen. The crime rate was vanishingly small there. Where we live now, we do lock our doors. Too many scumbags (a/k/a common criminals) live in the area and I don't trust them any further than I can throw them. We live in a rural area about 10 miles from a small town. All of our neighbors have guns, but we do not... and Aidan greets even perfect strangers with great glee. Edited June 9, 2011 by RoughCollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Years ago, when we lived in the PAC NW, I remember being surprised that people left their front doors unlocked and keys in the car ignition. I had moved there from a city in the south and it shocked me. It was kind of nice to think I *could* do that, but I never let myself. LOL! I just read in the prison break thread where a poster suggested that the OP might want to *pull her keys* from her car. Is this still common? We live *out* now, not in a city and no longer in the PAC NW, but if I left my keys in my car, it probably wouldn't be there when the sun rose the next day. Even in our *country neighborhood*, we have people cruising through here who do not belong. (It's a dead end too!) So...I'm just curious how many live in areas where you feel you can leave your keys in your ignition or your front door unlocked on a daily basis. I might want to move. :) :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: Granted, we live in the city....but! We used to live in the "no man's land" area of Lancaster County. Sweet as pie Old Order and Amish neighbours. Yeah, the Amish neighbours were one reason to keep your car locked! We didn't leave the keys in, but we left the car unlocked. One spunky kid (actually, I'm starting to wonder if it was his dad who was about 50 and a bit spunky himself) took out stick shift and rolled it down the drive and parked it in the middle of the street in front of the house (DH was home for lunch and the kitchen was in the back of house). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Okay, I live in the PNW, and if you leave your keys in the car you likely won't have a car very long. There are car break-ins all of the time. I can't believe how many people leave valuables in their cars and/or leave their cars on the street unlocked. Two friends in our nice safe neighborhood had purses stolen because they left them in their cars overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 The thought of leaving keys in the car is baffling to me! I grew up in the city, and you lock everything! Walking down the hall to get your laundry from the laundry room? Lock the apartment! Getting out of the car to return a movie to the rental place? Lock the doors! After I left the city, a friend and I had to call the locksmith after I locked the car upon getting out. She looked at me like I was crazy for thinking I should lock the door! I just couldn't understand that *purposely* left the keys in the car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: Granted, we live in the city....but! We used to live in the "no man's land" area of Lancaster County. Sweet as pie Old Order and Amish neighbours. Yeah, the Amish neighbours were one reason to keep your car locked! We didn't leave the keys in, but we left the car unlocked. One spunky kid (actually, I'm starting to wonder if it was his dad who was about 50 and a bit spunky himself) took out stick shift and rolled it down the drive and parked it in the middle of the street in front of the house (DH was home for lunch and the kitchen was in the back of house). :lol: Oh my goodness! NOT what you would expect!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 But now?! I lock it even when I'm inside the house. Same here. Shoot! We lock the front door if we are all in the backyard! And we lock our car doors while we are IN it and DRIVING down the street! We don't need extra passengers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I don't leave my keys in my car, but I never lock it when I'm home. We only lock our doors at night, but we live in a rural area up on the side of a mountain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunD Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I don't have to lock anything at home. Shed, car, house ... nobody is going to mess with it. Everyone knows who lives here. If something was stolen and I made a police report, the officer who took the report would likely say something like, "Oh yeah? My wife saw Old Man Smith poking around your yard when she passed on her way to work! He's always up to no good. We'll get your lawn mower back." :lol: I know someone who was desperate to get rid of her car ... she hated it but her husband wouldn't let her trade it for something else. She started leaving her keys in it all the time. She'd even leave it running when she went inside the bank or the store. Nobody ever took it. In "town" you do have to lock your stuff. Cars get stolen from the mall, Walmart, and other places like that. My aunt lives closer to civilization, and she locks some things ... her house, but not her car, although she doesn't leave the keys in it. But out here, no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Me -- no, I don't leave the keys in the car man who lives in the house with me who grew up on a farm -- yes :glare: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenpatty Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 No way. However, dh does this all the time when we go back to our hometown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herbalgirl Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 No. I used to live in a rural area where people didn't lock their cars at night or doors to their houses, but it always made me uneasy. We even take the key out of our lawnmower that is in the shed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 No keys in cars here... and our insurance company makes it very clear in the paperwork that they will not pay out on a stolen vehicle if they find out the keys were in the car or the doors were unlocked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 ARE YOU NUTS? NO WAY. Our GPS was stolen from the dashboard of our car, while it was unlocked IN THE GARAGE. The garage door was open because my husband was carrying the week's garbage out to the curb. We were in and out of the house. My husband came back out to the garage and the door of the car was open and the gps was gone, along with a pocket knife / razor blade my dh kept in the glove box for emergencies. That was all... That said, we live in a very low-crime neighborhood and feel very safe. We were all flabbergasted by the incident, but apparently it is not uncommon--the police said it is usually teens stealing stuff to hock to get their weed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I don't have to lock anything at home. Shed, car, house ... nobody is going to mess with it. Everyone knows who lives here. If something was stolen and I made a police report, the officer who took the report would likely say something like, "Oh yeah? My wife saw Old Man Smith poking around your yard when she passed on her way to work! He's always up to no good. We'll get your lawn mower back." :lol: I know someone who was desperate to get rid of her car ... she hated it but her husband wouldn't let her trade it for something else. She started leaving her keys in it all the time. She'd even leave it running when she went inside the bank or the store. Nobody ever took it. In "town" you do have to lock your stuff. Cars get stolen from the mall, Walmart, and other places like that. My aunt lives closer to civilization, and she locks some things ... her house, but not her car, although she doesn't leave the keys in it. But out here, no. :iagree: This is us, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sushi's Mom Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 No, I would never dream of leaving the keys in the car, or leaving the doors unlocked, to the car or the house. There are too many creeps out there. We had our gps stolen from our car, while it was parked in our driveway. We thought the car was locked, but the lock on the back door was broken and it didn't lock. The thief got in, rooted around in the car, found the gps and my daughter's Nintendo DS, but only stole the gps. (I was glad he left the DS, because it would have made her anxiety much worse.) I don't even know how they knew we had a gps in there as it, and the DS, were completely hidden. I think maybe they were just trolling the neighborhood and got lucky that the door happened to be unlocked that night. Perhaps they go around our neighborhood every night looking for unlocked doors. That's pretty scary to think of. I also never leave the garage door open during the day. Many of my neighbors leave the garage open all day and I worry about them. An aunt was gardening in her back yard one day, the garage door was open. A teen approached her in the yard and asked for money. He then said he was thirsty and needed to use the phone and could he come into the house. She told him she would not give money,but would go get the phone and water to bring out to him. While she was in the house, she called the police, then went back out through the garage to bring him the water. As she was leaving the house, she saw him jump out from behind her car; he had a knife. She told him the police were on their way and she ran back into the house. Later, they caught him and he confessed that he went there with the intent to kill her. She lives in a very nice, quiet retirement neighborhood, that everyone thinks is very safe. When I was 18 I was in my car at a stop light at 1:00 in the morning. A group of teens ran up to my car and tried to get in. Thankfully I lock my car doors the minute I get in the car, so I was able to just drive away. It sure did scare me though. Here is a good website with safety info. http://www.crime-safety-security.com/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassyscrapperinid Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 When we lived in Vermont, I did occasionally. I dont now, and after the problems we had with our previous neighbors, I dont think I ever would again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyThreeSons Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I have been known to accidentally leave my keys in the car, but I don't do it as a matter of course. I often lock the vehicles' doors when we park away from home, but not when we're at home. I don't even know where the key to our front door is, but we never use that door. I think I have a key to the door off the carport, which is how we get in and out of the house, but I can't remember the last time we locked it, whether while at home or going out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Not if I want to see it still in my driveway an hour later. We do leave keys in when warming up the van in winter - but I have a second set of keys, so can lock the van while the engine warms (older vehicle) and the dog barks from the front house window if anyone or any squirrel ;) gets too close. He will bark at the invisible squirrels, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Nope, never. I remember my neighbor had left her keys in the car at the shopping center (she used to do that all the time where she used to live.) The car wasn't there when she finished grocery shopping. She was soundly criticized by everyone for doing so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I do leave my keys in the car when it's parked in the garage, but if it's outside - nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 No...no, no, no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 We live in the middle of nowhere with a nonexistant crime rate. We aren't on google maps, mapquest, or anything. Our house is unlocked 24/7/365. We not only leave the keys in our vehicles, and but we leave the vehicles unlocked, running, and full of dc when we shop in our tiny town. The mailman and UPS driver leave packages inside our house when we are gone. Everyone knows everyone. My dh is the county prosecutor, so he knows if something fishy is happening around the area. Once he asked me not to drop the kids off at the library since an unknown person was in town and had stopped by the library the previous day. :lol: We should start a "only in a small town...." thread. The city folk would probably find the stories a hoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassyscrapperinid Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 We should start a "only in a small town...." thread. The city folk would probably find the stories a hoot. I would love to read that!! :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Uh, I grew up in Flint, and now live in a northern Detroit suburb. We lock everything. The thought of not locking doors or leaving keys in the car is so foreign to me, I honestly have a hard time believing anyone does it. We had two men break into our home in Flint when I was a teenager. I was home with my three sisters. It was the middle of the afternoon. A few years ago, dh had his car stolen while preaching at the homeless shelter in Detroit. And no, the keys weren't in it. :D So yeah, we keep doors locked, all the time. And if keys are left in the car, it's completely by mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 No. I would not want to be responsible for a kid getting killed by trying to drive my car. (Not that that's very likely since I drive manual...) But seriously, insurance would not pay if car was stolen with keys inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Here's a cautionary tale: http://www.ktvu.com/video/28088651/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 So...I'm just curious how many live in areas where you feel you can leave your keys in your ignition or your front door unlocked on a daily basis. I might want to move. :) Then all I can say is, don't move to Albuquerque! I love many aspects of living here: the climate is perfect, the landscapes and skyscapes are gorgeous. But the crime is AWFUL. Bad enough that it's top on our list of reasons of why we are considering moving, even though we have lived here for 12 years, have roots and strong friendships here, and love it in many ways. It is that bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Are you kidding me???!!! I don't leave *anything* in the car. I'm always gobsmacked by people who leave their wallets in the gloveboxes of their vehicles. WTH??? A co-worker's wallet was stolen out of his *locked* garage. The thief used the credit cards and royally messed up the co-worker's credit for years. When I get out of the car for any reason, the keys go with me, if for no other reason than it's impossible to lock my keys in the car if I'm holding them in my hand, KWIM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I ALWAYS lock my car. My Uncle (in Texas) once admonished me for this, claiming this is a small town not the big city. I told him you have a very hot sun and any one of my children could climb in the hot car and be dead in a matter of minutes. I saw a story about this when I was pregnant and I was profoundly affected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Here's a cautionary tale: http://www.ktvu.com/video/28088651/index.html Was this recent? Did they find the baby? And WHO in the WORLD intentionally leaves the keys in the car, the car unlocked, and a baby inside?! People still actually do that?! Amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAutumnOak Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 No...I grew up in the projects of an inner city...We didn't even have a car growing up...Most people didn't but no one would even think of leaving keys in the car even if they did... I live in a pretty decent place now but still would not do it...I know people who leave the doors unlocked, but I don't know anyone who would leave keys in the ignition... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I have left my keys in the car by accident but never on purpose. That seems like an invitation for some kind o trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edithcrawley Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I'd never do it. I always make sure the car is locked after I finish unloading it. If I had a garage, I might leave the car unlocked, but I definitely wouldn't leave the keys in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Was this recent? Did they find the baby? Yes, and yes. It was during the last week or so, and they did find the baby, in the car, which was abandoned some distance away from where they disappeared--about 50 miles away, I think. I don't believe that they have found out who did it. It was about 3 1/2 hours before they found the car, the baby was still strapped inside, and they didn't know how long it had been parked in the heat, so they took the baby to the hospital first for evaluation and her family got her back. Quite an ordeal. There was an Amber Alert all over the place just in case, but AFAIK everyone thinks that the kidnapping was incidental to a joyride and that the thief probably didn't even realize that the baby was in the car when he took it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKapers Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I don't leave my keys in the car or leave my doors unlocked (at least not intentionally ;)) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Around here, you probably could leave the keys in the car, and you can probably leave the door unlocked, and nothing would likely happen. Speeding is generally the biggest crime issue. But I wouldn't leave the keys in the car anyway, just in case. (And I've had a car stolen before, when we lived in Boston; it's not pleasant.) Also, at least one of our cars has locked itself without us in it, but with the keys in it; DH got out to pump gas, leaving the keys in the car, and the kids and I got out for a bathroom break. Car locked itself, with our only key in it, several hours from home. Was a pain to get someone to open it too. So I am a bit paranoid after that experience. (I do now keep a spare car door key and a spare house key in my bag; it's unlikely that I'd lock both the house door and car with both my regular keys and my bag inside one of them.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I rarely lock anything. Twice now Ds6 has left the van door open when we've gone to the store/swimming pool. We do have DVD players and DVD's in the van but nothing was missing, and I would have been shocked to find something stolen. I think it largely depends on your neighborhood. Our neighbor plows our drive almost every day in the winter. Sometimes twice a day. We had a hard time getting a bill from him this spring so I gave his daughter a blank, signed check to give to him. I think the added responsibility of the blank check made him charge even less than last year (which was a pittance considering the time and money it saved us). That same neighbor knew we were gone when there was a storm coming. He put my Rainbow Resource package ($500 plus) in the house for us. Good thing it was unlocked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
********* Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Yes, and yes. It was during the last week or so, and they did find the baby, in the car, which was abandoned some distance away from where they disappeared--about 50 miles away, I think. I don't believe that they have found out who did it. It was about 3 1/2 hours before they found the car, the baby was still strapped inside, and they didn't know how long it had been parked in the heat, so they took the baby to the hospital first for evaluation and her family got her back. Quite an ordeal. There was an Amber Alert all over the place just in case, but AFAIK everyone thinks that the kidnapping was incidental to a joyride and that the thief probably didn't even realize that the baby was in the car when he took it. Wow. I'm glad the baby's ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abacus2 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 No way! Growing up in a rural area we would leave cars unlocked all the time, but never leave the keys in the car. Now I lock everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Gosh, no! Never ever. Though to be honest, we could probably do both where we're living right now.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 not in these days and times............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Years ago, when we lived in the PAC NW, I remember being surprised that people left their front doors unlocked and keys in the car ignition. I had moved there from a city in the south and it shocked me. It was kind of nice to think I *could* do that, but I never let myself. LOL! I just read in the prison break thread where a poster suggested that the OP might want to *pull her keys* from her car. Is this still common? We live *out* now, not in a city and no longer in the PAC NW, but if I left my keys in my car, it probably wouldn't be there when the sun rose the next day. Even in our *country neighborhood*, we have people cruising through here who do not belong. (It's a dead end too!) So...I'm just curious how many live in areas where you feel you can leave your keys in your ignition or your front door unlocked on a daily basis. I might want to move. :) I don't leave mine in. Years ago we had our car stolen.....twice.....in 3 days! Long story but I pull my keys. Now my dh on the other hand will leave his in, quite often. I lock our doors at night when everyone else has gone to bed, always. I don't during the day. Well, if we are going to be gone during the ralley I lock it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristinaBreece Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 My dad never takes his keys out of his ignition. Really. I took his car from the parking lot at his job one time and parked it in the lot next door (where DH worked at the time) to prove the point. He still leaves his keys in there. All. The. Time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 My dad never takes his keys out of his ignition. Really. I took his car from the parking lot at his job one time and parked it in the lot next door (where DH worked at the time) to prove the point. He still leaves his keys in there. All. The. Time. :lol: This made me laugh! Meriweather, I want to live where you live...but my dh would cry if we got enough snow that a plow was needed! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyinND Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I grew up in cities where you would never leave your doors unlocked or your keys in the car, but now I live in a town of about 500 and we do leave our doors unlocked & keys in the car. ( I still can't do that at night, though, but alot of people around here do) It took a little getting used to, but I can't imagine it any other way. We do lock up if we're anywhere else, though. Not everywhere is like our little "mayberry":001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyinND Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I rarely lock anything. Twice now Ds6 has left the van door open when we've gone to the store/swimming pool. We do have DVD players and DVD's in the van but nothing was missing, and I would have been shocked to find something stolen. I think it largely depends on your neighborhood. Our neighbor plows our drive almost every day in the winter. Sometimes twice a day. We had a hard time getting a bill from him this spring so I gave his daughter a blank, signed check to give to him. I think the added responsibility of the blank check made him charge even less than last year (which was a pittance considering the time and money it saved us). That same neighbor knew we were gone when there was a storm coming. He put my Rainbow Resource package ($500 plus) in the house for us. Good thing it was unlocked! Yep, that's the midwest!!:001_smile: I live there too! Sounds just like home!:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 No, never. And I try to remember to always lock my car but I'm nit always good at remembering to do so at home (in public it's always locked). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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