Albany NY, never lock the cars but apartment is always locked. The region is more populated then most people think, ranking 50th on the list of PSA’s in the US. So not exactly the sticks that people make it out to be.
I’ve lived in this area my for all of my 41 years, and always felt it was very safe.
House is locked at night and anytime no one is home.
I didn’t used to lock my car when it was in the driveway. Then I noticed that my change was disappearing. I think the punk kid next door would come over at night and take any cash in the car (change in the ash tray/couple of bills for bridge toll in the console). Nothing else was ever taken, like the Maglite or CDs. I started locking the car.
Unlocked cars are not uncommon. When I first came here, most of the cars in parking lots were left with the keys in the ignition.
(Dubai, UAE)
Just realized I didn’t actually answer the question. I think it’s very rare for people here to leave their house unlocked, and probably most people lock their cars.
Umm, no.
I live mere minutes north of the most dangerous city in the US. Suburban midwest, yo.
In my small Louisiana home-town, my parents never locked the house but we had six or more large guard dogs at any point who could could smell a low-life from a mile away and word got around. Some people wouldn’t even come to our house to drop something off because they were scared of the dogs. We always assumed the dogs were probably better judges of character than we were. My parents always left the the keys in their vehicles as well even when they went into town. That just seemed like complete stupidity to me. How much trouble is it take your keys versus the risk and hassle no matter how small? I never did that when I got my own car. Sure enough, one night, two joyriders took their cars out of the driveway while everyone was home (but not mine because the keys weren’t in it) and had a hell of night before they totaled them both.
I lived in a house in an isolated farmhouse in Vermont that didn’t even have keys (or a phone, neighbors, or mail). I have no idea what I would have done if someone broke in while I was there but anyone could have and I still didn’t sweat it much.
I always lock everything now just because I like having my keychain on me at all times and it doesn’t cost me anything so any risk avoidance is all gravy. I don’t really understand why some people view it as hassle.
Since I live in Oakland, yeah, I lock everything up. Even if I didn’t live here, I don’t see what the advantage would be to leaving your home or car unlocked. You save the 2 seconds it takes you to turn the key?
My ex-in-laws do, in a very safe rural area. Not here in SF, I’d be murdered in my sleep.
I live in the suburbs of Montreal. When my mother was still here and we had the car, we always locked it. But we leave the house unlocked at night (and lock it when we go out.)
In our complex/neighborhood it’s a good idea to lock your doors. Not that there are many crimes, but things have been stolen over the years. I think the worst case was someone stealing coin boxes out of the laundry machines. I still marvel that they didn’t wake anybody up. Since then locking your door is pretty much a no-brainer.
Everything’s pretty much unlocked all the time at my place. We tried locking the doors and giving the kids keys, but sometimes one of them would forget a key and the other would stay after school, and well after a while we just stopped locking the doors.
Rural Ga here. Not many people bother locking their doors or cars. I’ve been known to leave my front door standing open when I know I’m going to be gone less than 30 minutes.
Not that I have much worth stealing mind you. Aside from my nook tablet and bluray player, everything I own is outdated. A desktop computer so old it has a Y2k compliant sticker on it, tvs so old they don’t have RCA compatible hookups, furniture that a thrift store would reject.
Sometimes being poor has its advantages.
Yep, me too. And I grew up and spent most of my life in that city so the habit is pretty well-ingrained. I have no idea what sort of door-locking habits my neighbors (now) have.
My other half is from Reading, UK, and keeps our house locked up like Fort Knox. If it wasn’t for him, I’d barely bother locking the doors. We’re on the edge of town, on an acreage, on a block that’s fairly hidden from the road.
Accidentally left my front door open when I left for work one morning at my old place (which was right in the centre of town, in a bigger town, the front unit in a block of two). The door was open into the street the whole day. Nothing out of place when I got home. Even when I lived on the main road I often left the back door unlocked to go out to the shops The ex was from Texas, and he and my current fella are about equally paranoid about home security. He wouldn’t sleep with a window open in an unairconditioned house in an Australian summer despite my insistence that we were more likely to suffocate in the heat than experience a home invasion.
I love in a condo building with security. It wouldn’t be hard for a determined thief to smooth talk his way in and try a few doors, I guess. But it seems very unlikely. So I leave my door unlocked when I go out, usually.
Anyway, what would happen if someone got in? They steal my TV? You can have it. I have insurance. Big deal.
I lock the door when I and the Small One are home, though. At least when we sleep.
When I lived in western NJ we locked our doors mostly out of habit. No real need. Houses were too far apart anyway. A burglar would have all day to break in and no one would see. Where I live now the odds are still in my favor (I am very aware of the crime stats here), but I lock everything. The bad part of town isn’t that far away.
Hahahaha. No fuckin’ way. I live in New York City, we lock our shit up here.
Though both the door to my building and my apartment automatically lock when they are closed anyway. I’ll deadbolt my apartment if I go out or at night.
Yes, very. I know a couple whose locks don’t even work on their front door.
I have always been lax about keeping my doors locked. I live in the suburbs, I don’t have anything worth stealing and my house is flanked by two houses full of young(er) people who always seem to be outside. The only time I got paranoid about locking up was on football game nights (I live next to the high school) since there were so many “outsiders” in the neighborhood.
But then I started storing a bunch of my brother and sister-in-law’s stuff in my house as they are transitioning between homes, and I suddenly got more paranoid about people stealing “stuff” since it’s not just my junk but their junk too. Now I keep it all locked up.
I lock the car all the time, cuz it’s easy. Boop-boop!
My sister was saying just last week that in the small town in Indiana she moved to, many of the exterior doors to the house they just bought are locked with skeleton keys. They weren’t even sure if they could still get skeleton keys. I’d guess she’s not locking up much.
StG