Why You Should Lock Your Car Doors.

[DebMD (banned)]

2 different events where the driver was snatched out of their cars[no guns involved]
one person was beaten and robbed the other was raped.

[Sammy]

Happens every day in every large city. Sad to say.....

[kinetickid]

I ALWAYS lock my doors as soon as me and my daughter are inside the car (even if we're not yet in our seatbelts/carseat and even if I haven't yet started the ignition).

You know, I was the victim of someone who sneaked into the back seat of my car. He was a former roommate of mine--a total weirdo, in fact, which is why I moved out...this was in TUCSON, too!

I went to pick up a friend of mine after class; she and I were planning a trip to London for the following week, so we were going to do some laundry, errands (e.g. dry clean my winter coat), and a tiny bit of travel-related shopping. Though I almost always locked my door when I got out of my car, on this occasion, since it was just a quick knock-on-the-door-and-return-to-the-car sort of thing, I didn't lock the doors. Well, the psycho former roommate had apparently been stalking me and seized this chance to sneak into my car and hide under my winter coat in the backseat.

He was hiding and it was dark, so neither my friend nor I saw this guy in the backseat of my car. My friend and I were chatting when she suddenly stopped conversing. And then, in the eeriest voice I've ever heard, she said, "KK, there's someone in the backseat of your car."

Of course, I thought she was playing a practical joke.

Nope. No joke.

I told her to get out of the car NOW! We jumped out. I didn't grab my purse or even turn off the car (it was a standard transmission, so I knew it would die on its own). We ran to a check-cashing place not too far away--the nearest open business in the area--and immediately called the cops.

THE TUCSON POLICE DIDN'T SHOW UP FOR 25 MINUTES!!! And we were smack in the middle of town!

By the time the police showed up, the guy had gone (and he stole my stuff, too).

Oh, and he had a gun...

There's no doubt in my mind that he would have killed or raped me if my friend hadn't been in the car with me that night.

[kinetickid]

Jan 13, 2011 22:53:04 GMT -5 Sammy said:

Happens every day in every large city. Sad to say.....

Tucson isn't a large city.

[Apple]

Holy crap, KK!! Glad you made it out ok.

[Peace Of Mind]

KK - That is wild! My heart would have jumped out of my chest!!

I was going to add that you should always lock your doors because there are CRAZY people out there! But KK said it better than I.

[Loopdilou]

I lock them for two reasons:

1) If my children are in the car, then I don't want anyone else to come in uninvited.
2) I have this weird paranoia that if I get in a car crash, unlocked doors will come springing open and my kids will fly out.

[Peace Of Mind]

That happened to my little brother when my mom drove over rail road tracks. We had a station wagon and the door wasn't shut all the way. He fell out but he was okay. He was about 2 years old.

[Deleted]

We have recently moved to a smaller town from a big city and are paranoid about locking the cars and keeping the garage door down. Our neighbors will leave their cars unlocked in their driveway and their house unlocked all the time. And we always keep our house locked, people look at me strangly when they go to leave and I unlock the door ;D

[Loopdilou]

Jan 14, 2011 0:23:03 GMT -5 Peace Of Mind said:

That happened to my little brother when my mom drove over rail road tracks. We had a station wagon and the door wasn't shut all the way. He fell out but he was okay. He was about 2 years old.

YES! Fears validated! I'm not INSANE (well, not in this instance anyway).

[Peace Of Mind]

LOL, Loopy!! When I was a teenager (I purchased my own car when I was 15 with my own money) I was at work and when I was leaving a strange lady jumped into my car and told me to take her to a store across a major road. She was huge! I was not going to argue with her as I was about 100 lbs. soaking wet, if that. I've locked my doors ever since that incident. She was just hot and didn't want to walk and it was a happy ending, but thinking about the "what ifs..."

[Loopdilou]

I'm not worried about me... If I get killed.. eh... I just worry about my kids. And doors popping open randomly.

We actually only lock our house at night, but for some reason I am adamant about locking my car even when we're not in it - I think it's because it has a banging stereo system and I don't want it to get stolen.

[NoNamePerson]

We actually only lock our house at night, but for some reason I am adamant about locking my car even when we're not in it - I think it's because it has a banging stereo system and I don't want it to get stolen

.

I became adamant about locking car when I had car stolen right out of the driveway Then I became adamant about having a shotgun by the door when someone thought they needed the T Tops from my car.

[Colleenz]

Wow - I never thought to lock my car when I am driving. When we are home I leave the garage door open and the doors unlocked all the time. I am not worried at home though - our dog is rather protective.

KK - That is frightening - glad it turned out OK.

[rick]

Jan 13, 2011 23:00:15 GMT -5 @kinetickid said:

Jan 13, 2011 22:53:04 GMT -5 Sammy said:

Happens every day in every large city. Sad to say.....

Tucson isn't a large city.

[/b]


The hell it aint

[hoops902]

Jan 14, 2011 0:18:34 GMT -5 Loopdilou said:

I lock them for two reasons:

1) If my children are in the car, then I don't want anyone else to come in uninvited.
2) I have this weird paranoia that if I get in a car crash, unlocked doors will come springing open and my kids will fly out.

In a car crash, you want your doors to be unlocked as it helps rescue personnel. Some cars will actually automatically unlock the doors when they detect a collision.

Maybe try seat belts on your kids to keep them from flying out (ok I assume you do).

[Deleted]

The only time my car doors aren't locked is if the car is in my garage.

The only time the doors to my house aren't locked is if one or all of us are outside in the yard. Otherwise, the garage door stays down and all the doors and windows are locked, day or night.

I live in the land of car jackings and home invasions and I know locking up won't stop someone that's determined to get in, but it makes me feel better thinking that at least they'd have to put forth a little effort.

[jennml]

I was pretty lax with locking my car doors, until one night I was driving around Fordham University (which is in the Bronx) and some weirdo, homeless looking man runs over to my driver's side window (I was waiting at a light) and starts yelling and banging on it. I locked my doors right away. But all I kept thinking, as I burned rubber away from him, was how easily he could've opened my door and dragged me out. Since then, I always lock my doors as soon as I get into my car.

[Deleted]

I almost never lock my door, whether I am driving or parked..

[Beemermom]

My SUV has a feature that automatically locks the doors when it reaches 10 MPH

[NancysSummerSip]

I have a Nissan that also locks automatically, after 20 seconds or at 20 MPH, whichever comes first.

I worked nights for a long time, so driving with doors unlocked was not an option. And my purse goes in my trunk, not on the floor or seat where it can be seen for a smash-and-grab.

And Loop...on the issue of accidents and unlocked car doors. No, you are not off base on that. I took a driver's ed class after getting a traffic ticket, and that issue was dealt with in one of the chapters. Yes, locking the doors does mean less of a chance of a door opening in a high-speed crash. At low speeds (less than 30 MPH) it did not seem to help or hurt.

[NancysSummerSip]

In a car crash, you want your doors to be unlocked as it helps rescue personnel.

In a crash, rescue personnel will break the windows, reach in and do that. Or use the Jaws of Life. Granted, it won't be as quick as simply opening the door. But my odds of an accident versus my odds of a carjacking/robbery/assault....in South Florida, it's about even. My chance of dying in one versus the other, however, is another story.

Bottom line: doors lock, varmints out.

[Bob Ross]

There's a 6 way major intersection a few blocks from where I live that I like to call "the crazy intersection" because it's where all of the nutjobs hang out. DF had some psycho walk up and try to open her car door while she was stopped at one of the lights, but she was able to hit the lock button just in time and speed off. I have better luck as normally they just try and sell me shoes.

I was considering putting one of my guns in my center console, as my home state allows this, but I couldn't leave it there since the state I work in doesn't, not to mention there have been smash + grabs in the alley where my parking pad is, and I don't feel like supplying free arms to a criminal.

[Bluerobin]

Crabby's car has a feature that automatically locks the doors. She never remembered to do it herself. Technology is great!

[hoops902]

Jan 14, 2011 10:43:18 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

In a car crash, you want your doors to be unlocked as it helps rescue personnel.

In a crash, rescue personnel will break the windows, reach in and do that. Or use the Jaws of Life. Granted, it won't be as quick as simply opening the door. But my odds of an accident versus my odds of a carjacking/robbery/assault....in South Florida, it's about even. My chance of dying in one versus the other, however, is another story.

Bottom line: doors lock, varmints out.

Worrying about your personal safety and choosing to lock your doors is one thing, incorrectly thinking that having the doors locked is safer in case of an accident is another.

I'd be curious to see some facts surrounding your claim that the odds of having a car accident are equivalent to the odds of being carjacked in South Florida...sounds like something you're simply making up.

I'm not arguing to leave your doors unlocked, I lock mine, but it's not the preferable setting once an accident occurs.

You could avoid the carjackings/assaults/etc by simply being aware of your surroundings and locking your doors at that point. No one is carjacking you while you're driving 60 down the road.

[Befferz]

I used to feel the same way as you, hoops. But I decided think that an accident that would render me incapable of unlocking the car door myself would likely damage the door so much that you couldn't really open it anyway. Obviously there are exceptions, because there are always exceptions in life. But my car locks the doors automatically when you reach 10 mph or so, and I'm not going to unlock them based on possiblities.

[MN-Investor]

My DH used to be in the training dept of a large corporation. One of his co-workers, a female, was down in the southeast U.S. and got back into her rental car. I don't remember if she had gotten gas, or just run into a gas station for something. Anyway, there was a man hiding in the back. He told her to adjust the mirror so she couldn't see him, then forced her to drive for several hours to another state. At some location he jumped out, leaving her unhurt but really, really shaken. The corporation flew her home on their corporate jet. Needless to say, I make sure I always lock my car if I'm away from it for even a moment!

[josie]

When I pull up to a stop sign, I always leave enough space to quickly drive around the vehicle in front of me in case its a set up and I need to make a quick getaway. :/

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I always look in the back seat of my car before I get in and I also look underneath the car. I never leave anything in the back seat that someone could hide underneath.

I rarely lock my doors, it depends on where I am at.

[hoops902]

Jan 14, 2011 11:35:04 GMT -5 Befferz said:

But my car locks the doors automatically when you reach 10 mph or so, and I'm not going to unlock them based on possiblities.

You're not going to click a button based on the possibility of saving your life?

I understand if your idea that you think you're apparently just as strong as your car, that anything that would knock you out must also mean your car is incapable of having the door opened. It's a ridiculous logic imo, but if you believe it, it at least makes sense. I just don't think it takes all that much to render someone incapable of unlocking their door. Being knocked unconscious isn't particularly tough to do. Assuming a head-on collision, it can take quite a bit to render a door unable to be opened by someone strong. Either way, there's absolutely no downside to having it unlocked while you drive down the road other than laziness. If you're too lazy to click a button to be safer, that's fine, plenty of people are, but lets all just own up to it being laziness instead of some convoluted logic of convincing yourself it's somehow safer.

The idea that "well my door locks automatically so I'm not going to click "unlock" just on the possibility that it will save my life just sounds incredibly lazy though.

I'm too lazy to lock my car up and take the keys out if I have to run into the gas station for a pop...but I don't pretend it's some illogical safety maneuver, it's more risky than the alternative and I do it cuz I'm lazy.