According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), thieves steal a vehicle every 31 seconds in the United States. With a figure like that, it might seem impossible to protect your ride from crime. However, most stolen cars have a silly, stupid oversight in common. 

Tulane University reports that 80% of stolen cars were unlocked at the time of the theft

Despite how cinematic and complicated car thieves make crimes look on the big screen, many thieves are opportunists. Rather than picking a well-protected, sought-after ride, they may opt for an easy target. Therein lies the mistakes owners make in many stolen car cases. 

According to Tulane University, a staggering 80% of stolen cars in the United States were unlocked. In these cases, car thieves don’t have to defeat a locked door or audible alarm to drive away. Instead, a car thief need only start the car to escape with your vehicle. Worse yet, 31% of American drivers admit they don’t lock their doors when they park.

Beyond car thefts, forgetting to lock your car doors can have serious consequences. For starters, any valuables in your vehicles are easily accessible without a layer of security like door locks. What’s more, homeowners sometimes leave remote garage door openers in their parked cars. We don’t recommend leaving a garage door opener in your street-or-driveway-parked cars. Unfortunately, your garage door opener can let a bad actor into your home via an internal door.

I wish that were all. However, vehicle owners reportedly left their keys in the ignition in 40% of stolen car cases. Tragically, leaving your keys in your vehicle’s ignition is tantamount to leaving a neon sign beside your car. And that sign will read “Hi, I make bad decisions. Please steal my car.” Fortunately, the statistics mean you can stay steps ahead of thieves by simply locking your car and securing your car keys.