Do you leave your outside lights on all night?

[cloversandlions]

Our formerly safe neighborhood has recently experienced some problems - one neighbor had the gas siphoned from her car, another car had some things stolen from it, and sometime over the weekend, someone cleaned out my neighbor's house. There are five houses on my cul-de-sac, two of which are rentals. One is occupied a prison guard and his wife and 12yo grandson, and the other was recently (~3 months ago) rented to an older couple whose grandson also lives with them...except that, in their case, the grandson is early-20s, an ex-con (more than once) just out on parole, apparently still dresses like a gang member (I wouldn't know, but the prison guard says so, as do the other neighbors on my street - it's a white supremacist gang, they say), and has ...questionable friends/acquaintances visit (some, apparently, look a lot like drug deals - fast car zips into our cul-de-sac, does a quick turn at the end, pulls up to the curb in front of the grandson's house, grandson comes out to the car, then car leaves ~1 minute later).

 

Anyway, the neighbor whose house was burglarized shares a fence with the ex-con. Neighbor was gone over the weekend, and came home last night to discover that the deadbolt on the door leading into the side of his house had been cut away, and that thieves have stolen A LOT of stuff - lots of electronics, a couple weapons, work-related items (he's a firefighter), keys to his cars, etc. Neighbor suspects the ex-con, and confronts him this morning. Ex-con says, "I didn't have nothing to do with that, bro!" Two hours later, three sheriff vehicles arrive and, half an hour after that, the ex-con is taken away in handcuffs. Neighbor found a piece of cardboard, bearing a UPS label from a package he received, in the ex-con's backyard. Ex-con's grandparents apparently have admitted to neighbor that they know their grandson is either directly or indirectly involved in the burglary.

 

Obviously, safety is a big concern at this point, especially since my dh travels. We're semi-rural - no streetlights or sidewalks, poorly paved roads, etc. I've always left my outside lights off because it's more restful, but now...everything I read says that it's safer to keep your outside lights on. Our porch outside lights are right outside ds's bedroom. We have a few motion sensing lights, but it is often very windy here and the trees and critters set them off all the time.

 

I have two Great Pyrs for protection, plus a couple weapons here, but I'd sure prefer to do everything I can to reduce the chance of anyone coming here. My kids' bedrooms are in the front of the house - they're the only rooms accessible from windows that are not behind my back/side yard fences.

 

My dh is interviewing for a job in another state, so we may only be here for a few more months (or we may be here for many more months), so in the interim, I'm looking for easy and quick ways to keep safe.

 

We've lived here for over 4.5 years, and to my knowledge, the three incidents above are the first I've heard of any criminal activity in this area/neighborhood (~ 60-70 homes on .25 - 1+ acre lots).

Edited October 5, 2011 by WorkInProgress

[Laura Corin]

We have motion-sensitive outside lights. Is that an option? I hope that the arrest of that one guy solves your problem.

 

Laura

[KristinaBreece]

We have a motion detector on our outside light.

[swellmomma]

I voted no because we currently don't but when we lived in the city we did, there was a lot going on on my street at the time and I didn't want to make my house an easy target. The front door was actually on the side of the house, and so that light wasn't a problem but the back sliding glass door was right under my bedroom window and I kept that light on too. I just put up really dark curtains to block it out and then it wasn't noticable.

[Jean in Newcastle]

We have motion sensors on our outside lights. They are off most of the time but if someone or thing comes within a certain distance of the house, they are triggered.

[meggie]

Ours are on all night; it's in our rental contract. We leave the switch up all the time and there's a sensor on the light that turns it on when it starts getting dark.

[Carpe]

I would think not having any lights would be safer because a random criminal isn't going to have night vision goggles, he's going to have a flashlight that someone would notice if there were no lights on. Having lights on just gives them more light to work with.

 

Are you worried about people breaking in when you're home or when you aren't?

[Home_s_Cool]

There's a motion sensor light on the side of the garage.

 

The we have a flood light that stays on all night to light u[ the area leading to the apartment above our house. Both for security and the tenant.

 

Plus our two labs help alert us to noises outside at night!

 

Our neighborhood has also had many issues - I think the lights do help.

Edited October 5, 2011 by Home_s_Cool

[RoughCollie]

We don't leave the outside lights on. We don't live in a neighborhood. I can't see another house from mine. I don't think having the lights on would deter anyone. I haven't met anyone here who doesn't have guns for hunting and protection, and I think that is a deterrence. I hope so, since we don't have a gun, and it takes the state police at least 45 minutes to get here.

 

Little Aidan is becoming a pretty good watch dog, so we have an alert system.

Edited October 5, 2011 by RoughCollie

[Heather in Neverland]

Home invasion is very common here so our lights stay on.

[Dustybug]

Our lights stay on all night long. DH works nights, and it makes me feel safer...especially since we only have one vehicle, so when he is gone it appears that no one is home. I had a pretty traumatic childhood too and it just make me feel more secure.

[KidsHappen]

We have many neighborhood street lights and a motion detector garage light. I usually turn of my porch lights but would definitely leave them on if needed to increase neighborhood safety.

[MissKNG]

I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing our lights were on outside...I think it's a waste of money.

[QuirkyKapers]

We leave our kitchen light on.

[hana]

Our neighborhood association asks everyone to keep theirs on. We (sometimes) have a neighborhood patrol, so it helps them to keep an eye on things. Also, I live on a busy street, so people are more likely to be deterred by lights being on, rather than if they could just work in the dark. So, yes, we have front and side lights on at night, and a motion-sensitive light in the back. Oh, this is in one of the most dangerous cities for its size in the country. I wouldn't use all that electricity if I lived in a safer place.

[Slartibartfast]

Yes, I leave outside lights on.

[TravelingChris]

We don't have our lights on all night but they aren't bright anyway= edging lights, two globes at the end of the driveway, lights on the edge of the stairs. THe only floodlights we have are for the paved area by the garage and the pool area. But we aren't having burglaries like this near me.

 

Are you going away soon, like on a weekend trip or vacation? Is the criminal back in the neighborhood? What I do has little to do with what you should do. You are already doing one of the best things to prevent a burglary= a dog. If you are home a lot, that is another factor that will reduce chances.

[LidiyaDawn]

Yep…outside lights are on, as are random inside lights. I want people to assume someone is up and awake.

[Denisemomof4]

no. Nobody would see anyway. If I do leave them on, it's for ME while I'm awake, and I turn them off when I go to bed, because I'm the last one to retire at night.

[Mrs.MacGyver]

We don't leave them on, and neither do most of our neighbors. We are in a rural area, and everyone knows each other and looks after each other's places.

 

We feel pretty safe most of the time. But I usually leave the doggy door unlocked because the Rottweiler and the Rottie mix like to roam the property periodically at night, and I deal with the sporadic barking at deer, etc. in exchange for the protection.

 

Before we had the dogs, a drunk man (who had run his car off the road near our house in the middle of a winter storm at night) actually walked right into our basement/garage door at the same time that dh was going down to lock up and set up the wood stove for the night. He handled it well, and managed to get the guy out of the house, car out of the ditch, and family notified....but had it been me (especially if dh was deployed), I would have freaked out! - - Thus the free range dogs.....:D

[sparrow]

Yes, we leave the garage lights on, as do most of our neighbors.

[sixpence1978]

No, we don't leave our lights on at night, but we haven't had any reports of criminal activity in our neighborhood. If there was, I would invest in motion-detection lights. We've had those at other, less-safe, houses.

 

Two of our neighbors usually leave theirs on at night, which is annoying because our bedroom doesn't get very dark at night then. We would like to put up some black-out blinds, but our bedroom has 7 windows so that would cost a fortune to do.

[Parrothead]

Yes, probably more often than not, but not every night.

[Ellie]

All night, every night, front and back.

[Brigitte]

The light at the end of our driveway goes on automatically at dusk and turns off when the sun comes up. Some nights I leave the light by the front door on, but it is off most nights. We live in the suburbs of a small city. My kids have left the keys to my car in the car door and everything was still there the next morning. Heck, we even manage to leave the garage door open (cars are not in the garage) a couple of times per week and have had nothing missing. So, for where we live, it doesn't really matter whether we leave a light on or not. However, in your situation, I would leave the outside lights on. It is supposed to be a deterent.

[Rebecca VA]

We leave our front-porch lights on until we go to bed, and then our house goes dark. There are street lights on our street, and it's a very safe neighborhood.

[Tess in the Burbs]

I would get motion lights and perhaps a thing that randomly turns on lights. kinda like a timer for holiday lights but use it for lamps inside and lights outside to randomly turn on in addition to motion lights. you can have a tv cut on and off while gone to deter people from coming in....they say most don't want to enter when people are home.

 

just get darkening shades for the kids windows.

[MariannNOVA]

Front lights stay on -- motion detector in the back -- it is dark (relatively speaking) where we are in that we are not in a neighborhood and there are no homes behind us (woods and golf course).

[Soror]

No, I live somewhat rurally first of all. Secondly it does seem a waste and I don't see it as a deterrent- atlhough I could see a motion detector as a deterrent we just haven't done it. No crime around this area to speak of to necessitate it. Lastly I cannot sleep w/ lights on at all, I don't even allow dh to keep the alarm clark facing up as it distubs my sleep, sleep is important.

[Hwin]

We have motion sensor lights, and my husband is a night owl, which means there are often inside light on past 1AM. We leave our car unlocked and were one of the few people on our street who weren't robbed when a group of teens went on a stealing-stuff-from-cars spree. I think the lights get the credit for that, but if my hubby was up playing Call of Duty with the windows open, then perhaps they were deterred by the sound of gunfire and cursing.

 

Yes, we try to remember to lock our cars now - it's a hard habit to learn when you live in such a small town.

[myfatherslily]

I usually leave mine off. We have 7 outside free-range dogs between my and my in-laws' connected properties. If the dogs all start barking (like last night), I'll turn the lights on. I figure if there's anyone out there (really unlikely in our very rural area), they'll know someone's up. And it shuts the dogs up, cause they can see they were barking at NOTHING.

 

In your case, I would definitely leave them on. I'd probably leave a light on inside the house, too.

[LatinLover]

I voted Yes. I live alone with dd, so I prefer to leave some lights on even though we are in a safe neighborhood. My bedroom is right by the front porch, so I simply cut the light down to about 1/2 throttle via dimmer switches. I believe that any amount of light is a great deterrent to criminals. BTW, I have an alarm system as well.....helps me sleep better!

[angela in ohio]

When we lived in the city, we did, front and back. There was a lot of crime, and we wanted to be the least easy target.

 

Now we turn them off, because we live in a very safe area. Dh has a flashlight next to his "security device," so we're good. :D Our neighbors have a motion sensor light out back, and it goes on when we go out in our backyard, so it covers us, too. We do leave a light on in the front hall, though. And the chickens have a light.

[JennyD]

We leave ours off, but in your circumstances I would leave them on.

 

I know that criminals are not necessarily known for razor-sharp intellect, but really? Burglarizing the house right next door?

[sassenach]

We have motion sensitive lights.

[lisabees]

All lights are on and we have motion sensored lights. We live in a safe suburban neighborhood. And we have a large dog. No one has lamp posts, though.

 

In our former neighborhood, we lived near a cop who said it was the single safest thing to do.

 

I am the only person in our cul-de-sac to do this, by the way. They must think we're strange. :lol:

[tammyw]

We live in a safe neighborhood but leave our lights on all night. My husband has replaced all outdoor lights with energy efficient lights so it's very cheap.

 

I just read an article last week on yahoo about that being the number one tip for making your house less attractive to thieves - keeping the lights on. A thief doesn't want to be working in a bright environment. They want to work in the shadows. Same thing goes for overgrown shrubbery around the house.

 

I personally hated motion detector lights (we had them when we lived in NC) because they would turn on for animals and such. Besides, the last thing I want is for the lights to go on and off - that would scare me even more!

[justamouse]

We have streetlights. I would petition the town to get them, citing the burglary.

[Lady Florida.]

Our lights have motion sensors. Our neighborhood is fairly safe, though bored teens are occasionally a problem. Also, the design and location of our subdivision makes it difficult for someone with illegal activities in mind to get in and out easily.

[kewb]

The lights by the garage have a motion sensor. The lights by the front door are an ongoing disagreement between dh and I. He wants them on all night as a crime deterrent. I think it is a waste of money to leave them on all night. He turns them on when he notices they are off and I turn them off when I notice they are on. If there is a criminal watching he must think we are loony.

[usetoschool]

It is how we know everyone is home - we leave the front lights on and the last person home turns them off and locks the door. Our back lights are motion detectors so when the wild horses wander by for a snack at 3am we will be sure and get up to keep them company :glare: We live in a pretty safe neighborhood and I never worry about bad guys. The lights are just for our convenience.

[vonfirmath]

In the previous house, we had motion-activated lights so no, they did not stay on.

 

In our current home, the lights are on after dark. They are light triggered. So go on at dusk and stay on until dawn.

[Happy]

Our semi-rural neighborhood is being swallowed up by suburbs...with the advent of the gia-nor-mus subdivision going in next to ours, we've had an increase in petty theft...cars broken into and such...in our neighborhood.

 

Our neighborhood watch recommends lights as a deterrent...evidently there are studies...my neighbor lights his 1 acre with a lot of light. We benefit from his lights on that side of the yard.

 

We have a small lamp post in the front flower bed by the front porch. I keep a soft light there, along with landscape lights beside the sidewalk. The lamp post light is just enough light to see the porch and unlock the door if you are coming in that way...very dim. By the side entry garage we have big flood lights on motion sensors. From time to time, we switch the lights to come on every evening.

 

In the back yard we have white twinkle lights on timers in the trees. They offer a surprising amount of light and look so charming. :D

[Daisy]

I voted other. Our porch light stays on all night. The other lights (one by the side yard gate and one by the garage door) have motion sensors.

[Impish]

No.

 

We have a huge dog. Our neighbours on either side of us were broken into while they were home, but we were left alone. Big dog with big teeth seems to be a better defence than lights. :D

[Upward Journey]

The lights are "on" but attached to a motion sensor, so really they mostly stay off ;)

[jjins]

I selected other, but the answer is more of a yes.

 

We have a STRONG sensor on our front porch light, if ANYTHING (leaf, cat person) moves in its view the light comes on. This seems more effective to us, as those unaware of the sensor are caught off guard and our neighbors as well as us, notice the light has come on.

 

Our backyard is open to a common area, no fence, the back light is always on, but it is also a lower watt bulb.

 

We live with Home Owners Association and they require outside lights on to keep crime down... they even supply bulb to everyone. We upgraded our front bulb and light fixture, with little difficulties.

[elise1mds]

I voted Other. We don't leave our outside lights on, but we have a street (security?) light in our yard that the electric company put in. We pay a small monthly fee to keep it. It's handy.

[mom2jjka]

We never used to, but recently we had an incidence with a 'peeping tom' so now we leave them on all night. :glare:

[Jennifer3141]

We live in an area with a lot of sky watchers so many of us keep our outside lights off. It's better for tracking the night animals too.

 

As a family, we make sure to keep them off in the early summer as much as possible for the fireflies. :D