Do you lock your doors at home?

Question

I was talking to some coworkers and somehow saftey came up and one person was saying they never lock their doors. Her neighbors even go in her house when she is at work to borrow things. I think this is crazy. I know in small towns or remote areas people don't lock but we live in a big city with crime on the news that happened locally every day. Since i have been living away from my parents house about 11 yrs now i forgot to lock my door once and was scared someone was in my house going to kill me the intire night. How can you feel safe just not locking your doors or windows

Answer 1

every time

Answer 2

When I lived in the city I wouldn't go any where without locking up. Actually, the doors were always locked, even when I was home. Not only the house but the car. I wouldn't leave the car unlocked even to run into the convenience store.

I've since moved to a smaller town (approx 5000) and I feel completely safe here. Unless I'm going to be away for longer than an hour the doors are hardly ever locked, even the car. However I do still lock up at bed time. Running into a convenience store, I don't lock the car and sometimes my wallet is sitting on the front seat. I know some people here who always leave their keys in their car. I haven't gone that far yet though.

In smaller towns everyone looks out for everyone else. My neighbours and the friends I have made are wonderful. I never experienced this kind of hospitality or friendliness in the city. On our local news we never hear of murders, break ins, etc. I really don't know how any one could feel safe enough in the city to leave themselves so vulnerable. It's just not the same.

Perhaps they are naive and have the frame of mind that "it won't happen to me." If it's going to happen it's going to happen to someone, what makes them so invincible?

Answer 3

Didn't lock doors in smaller cities but do now in a larger one given the amount of pedestrian traffic near where I live.

Your question seems more about how people could possibly not lock doors ie. what's wrong with them, etc.

Well, thing is, if the door is closed, the only way you're going to know it's not locked is to go up and try and open it. Now if you're intending to break into a place in a big city, you probably assume the door is locked and you probably don't care since it likely doesn't change whatever it is attracted you to robbing that house in the first place.

Door locks, mostly, are really easy to open and are more there to give you that illusion of security and deter the opportunistic few that just randomly try to open doors (I guess people do that?). Lockpicking is simpler than you think and there's something called a 'bump key' (google it) ... also, most doors you can kick in pretty easily.

Answer 4

All the time- even when I am home, with the high rate of home invasions. It's really scary, I lived with my grandparents for a while, all the blocks are dead end, it's full of older people from when the area was first built, when day a guy came to the house next door, forced his way in and murder our neighbor. Ever since then my doors are locks 24-7 you can never be too safe, even in a area you feel is safe.

Answer 5

I never used to lock the door. We live in a small ish town and we have never really needed to but the more things we get the more we have to lose so now i lock the doors every time. I lock the door when i am home now as well.

We have a home cinema system that is worth 20,000, 4 televisions, 2 lap top computers and 1 desktop so the more we get the more you have to lose if someone breaks in.

Answer 6

I always do as there have been a few home invasions around where I live. Why take a chance. I lock both my front and back doors except when I'm actually sitting on my back deck.
I do remember a time when we didn't have to lock up our houses, cars or daughters.(or sons)
We are much less trusting these days and,sadly, much of the time it's warranted.

Answer 7

definitely lock the doors at night and if I am gone during the day. I actually came home from getting groceries one day and found a man standing in my livingroom. I always wondered what I would do if that happened. I stood my ground by the door [so I could run if I had to] and he told me he knew the people who lived there before and was asking where they were. I told him to get out, which he did. I was lucky. It turns out he was actually a friend of our landlord's but I still can't figure out how he got in-the doors were locked.

Answer 8

I think you should always lock your door.
Now, I've been very lucky...once I left my door open! now, just a little, I guess the last time I went into my house I just pushed the door back but didn't make sure it was closed, and next morning I saw it open...God was there, for sure!
But we should always lock the door, period.
I've hear of people who live in apartment buildings, in high floor (6 up) and they never lock the door...I think that's dumb. There's bad people everywhere...

Answer 9

I lock my doors if i am at home or not, I live in a small town but theft is high here anyways, I also lock my truck and car doors each time i get out of them, one night i forgot to though and forty bucks was stolen out of my glove box....i also think people are stealing gas from my truck at night sometimes....its really sad considering our jail is three blocks away from my home!!

Answer 10

Yes. I lock the security screen doors on the outside, and leave the wooden doors open, so fresh air can flow through the house without compromising security.

Answer 11

In some neighborhoods in Connecticut they don't. Where my ex's parents lived it was a safe community like that. Regardless, I have always locked my doors. I do not want any unwanted guests. By leaving it open, you are leaving yourself open to bad people who would take advantage of that.