Car Theft.

Let's call the lady Sally Jones. I have never met Sally but my wife knows her slightly and two of my neighbors know her quite well.

Sally lives just two blocks up from here in a house not too dissimilar to our own, which is a comfortable two story building pretty typical of small(ish) town, America. Both homes sit on reasonable size plots and have garages attached at the side. Sally's house is on a slight ascent so the drive rises up to meet the garage.

We are perhaps a little spoilt in this part of town in that we all have drives and can park up on the drive during the day. It's a bit lazy perhaps but it saves putting the car away in the garage when we are at home during the day, we may be making several trips here and there, to the supermarket and back, and then off someplace else.

This is a nice neighborhood. One of the things that make it nice is the low crime rate, but it is not crime free. No neighborhood is crime free. Car theft happens in this nice neighborhood, not too often but it does happen.

How about those cars left out on the drive in broad daylight when the owner is at home? Yes, they have been known to disappear right off the drive. That is exactly what happened to Sally Jones.

With my interest in home security and defeating crime, including car theft, you'd expect me to say that I lock my car every time that I leave it out on the drive, which is exactly what I do. Plus I make sure that the immobilizer and alarm are set.

Sally had been around town, into this store and that store, and had a few purchases that she wanted to drop home before picking up her youngest daughter from the home of her daughter's best friend of the moment. One of the purchases was a gift for her daughter's upcoming birthday; Sally was keen to hide that away.

Pulling on to her drive and killing the motor, Sally intended to be no more than five minutes. Scooping up her packages and easing herself out of her car she nudged the car door shut. Did she lock the car? No silly, that would of meant an awkward struggle as she was holding the packages, besides she was going to be no longer than five little minutes.

It gets worse. The key was left in the ignition. My neighbors tell me that this was more of a moment of forgetfulness on Sally's part, rather than foolishness. But then dropping those packages indoors and hiding the gift for her daughter would take no time at all, and although car theft does sometimes happen around here, it was broad daylight and this was her driveway. What could happen?

Sally had just got herself inside and set down her packages when her phone rang. It was her daughter, could she stay on at her friends for a couple of hours more? If it was OK with her friend's mom it was OK with Sally. After all the extra time would give Sally an opportunity to wrap the gift before hiding it and get a couple more chores done.

Congratulating herself on a fine job of wrapping the gift, Sally Jones happened to glance out of the window. At first she was unable to answer the question "What's wrong with this picture?" But she knew something was indeed wrong. The car, she was certain that she had not put the car away in the garage, she had left out on the, now very empty, driveway. But how could it be gone? Then it hit her, she had not locked up the car, she was only to be a few minutes. Except she wasn't, the car had been out there unlocked while she wrapped her daughter's gift. I don't know exactly when Sally realized that she had made the car theft so easy by leaving the key in the ignition, but she has been kicking herself ever since.

The thief, or thieves, must have thought that day to be national make a car theft a breeze day. Not only unlocked and un-alarmed but the key right there in the ignition, just let her roll silently off the drive, fire her up and away.

Sally Jones’ unpleasant experience set tongues wagging around the neighborhood. Each one of us advising the other not to leave their automobile unlocked on the driveway, or anywhere, even for one minute. Of course that good advice was taken by most everyone, but how long for? Hopefully some of us will become so obsessed with locking our vehicles no matter where we leave them, and no matter for how short a time, that the act becomes a habit. That’s the way it is with me, I don’t think about it, I just do it.

I’d bet spending money though, that most of the neighborhood has already fallen back into parking up on the drive, dashing indoors just for those famous few minutes and leaving their beloved car unlocked.

Closing up this little tale of a car theft – Sally was fortunate, her car was found less than a week later and less than fifty miles away. It was a little dusty and showed some evidence of having been driven hard, but basically it was OK. The stereo entertainment system was missing and also a few CD’s, but all in all the lady was lucky. I don’t think I need to say that victims of car theft usually never see their vehicle again.

Lock your car doors, make sure the windows are fully rolled up and lock those doors whether you are leaving your car all day, or for those few fateful minutes.

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