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I don't lock them now. I live in a city of 60,000, and I never lock my car doors. I never lock my apartment doors, unless it go out of town.
There is never anything in my car for anyone to steal, except an empty McDonalds cup and maybe a tire pressure gauge or flashlight. If anybody wants to find out what is in there, I'd prefer they check it out without breaking the windows. I haven't listened to my car radio in years, and the only reason I have one is because it is impossible to buy a car without a radio. Anybody who wants it can have it. Anyone who wants to hotwire my '93 minivan can then pay the junkyard to accept it.
If you don't have anything you care about, it's not such a big deal. I don't want anybody messing with my belongings no matter how valueless they may be and also someone sitting in the car waiting to rob me or knock me in the head. I feel that locking the door and rolling the windows up won't althogether stop but will probably deter someone from entering my car.
I keep hearing stories from all sorts of people, on this forum and off it, about how people back in the 60s and 70s felt safe enough to leave their cars and even their homes unlocked in many parts of the country.
As a person who was born in the 80s, the idea of leaving your car unlocked anywhere but inside your own garage is inconcievable to me. Even in my parents' quiet suburban development--where the biggest crime to have happened there in ten years was probably a minor zoning ordinance violation--I lock my car when I park it on the street. Even at places where I feel completely safe I still double check to make sure my car is locked.
But I heard from people who back in the day would park in front of stores, in downtown areas, etc, and leave their cars unlocked, sometimes even with the keys in the ignition! I've even heard stories where people would double park and leave the keys in the ignition, so that if the owner of the first car comes back first he can simply move the second car to get his out! Did this actually happen or was the person who told me that story just pulling my leg?
I'm really interested to hear if any of the members of the forum who were around in the 60s and 70s left their cars unlocked, and if so, where did you do it and around what years?
How late in the 80's were you born?? In the early nineties, you could leave your car unlocked in student parking on campus up in Mansfield, PA. The students I knew from around Williamsport were calling their hometown "Little Philly", though, and talked about "the influx", which referred to the people from inner city Philly coming up to Williamsport for drug therapy.
While Williamsport was experiencing a crime surge back then, the crime rate was still almost the lowest in the nation among smaller cities. A murder in Williamsport was still rare, and it was still a quiet town. Small towns in PA were pretty much all places where doors could be left unlocked.
Yeah, I hate those trigger happy BLEEPS.
But, Hey, why don't you just help yourself to everyone else's property no matter the inconvenience or hurt you cause them or their families. Just because America is a free country don't mean you can freely take from others. It does however mean that you are free to get your own job and then pay for your own property then spend the time, money, and energy keeping, storing, and maintaining it.
Have a WONDERFUL Day.
Sorry, ATX, didn't mean to set ya off. Just wanted to share an amusing story from another time and another place.
I just wanted everyone to know how things have changed in my beloved Austin, Texas. Used to people respected other people's property and rights but today things are so bad you can't leave doors unlocked.
How late in the 80's were you born?? In the early nineties, you could leave your car unlocked in student parking on campus up in Mansfield, PA. The students I knew from around Williamsport were calling their hometown "Little Philly", though, and talked about "the influx", which referred to the people from inner city Philly coming up to Williamsport for drug therapy.
While Williamsport was experiencing a crime surge back then, the crime rate was still almost the lowest in the nation among smaller cities. A murder in Williamsport was still rare, and it was still a quiet town. Small towns in PA were pretty much all places where doors could be left unlocked.
Actually, I didn't grow up in Williamsport; I only moved there last year. Up until the age of 10 I live in McHenry County, Illinois, a suburban county of Chicago. After that, I lived in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I've heard the same stories about how Williamsport used to be though.
However, it might just be my family. My parents are the type who would lock up a car even if they were parked in an open field with no one around for five miles in any direction!
Still, it's not quite as silly as my doofus friend--he went to gas up his car and LOCKED IT, even though he, firstly, paid at the pump and was never more than two feet from the car, secondly, had the WINDOWS DOWN so that anyone could reach in and unlock it if they wanted, and thirdly, I was sitting right there in the passanger seat!! To top it off, he then fiddled for his keys for about a minute to unlock the door even though I was right there to unlock it for him and/or he could have reached right through the window. Of course I just sat and grinned at him while he did it, hehe. Sometimes I wonder how this guy manages to get his shoes on the right feet every morning, but I love the guy nonetheless.
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Sorry, ATX, didn't mean to set ya off. Just wanted to share an amusing story from another time and another place. 
