# Do you lock your doors?



## Jcgrey (Feb 5, 2011)

​ I'm not asking because I'm planning to sneak over. I'm asking because
this story about the Indiana shooting (5 people killed in a rural area). says that
people are planning to start locking their doors. I am surprised that rural Americans 
still don't lock their doors.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-09-26/in... 
"It's definitely something to take into consideration. People who haven't locked their doors in years, they're definitely locking up tight now. I actually took off work today because I'm here with my elderly grandparents and I didn't want to leave them here alone until they caught who they are looking for."


----------



## Lasair (Jan 25, 2010)

My door is self locking lol


----------



## Marakunda (Jun 7, 2011)

Umm, who doesn't?! I have all my life, why wouldn't you....


----------



## CynicalOptimist (Dec 31, 2010)

Yep, I don't put it past people to try and break in. Thankfully, my neighbourhood is fairly quiet and safe, so the odd time someone forgets to lock the door we don't have to worry about getting robbed. LOL.


----------



## Just Lurking (Feb 8, 2007)

All the time. I've read enough stories of robberies (and worse) where the m/o was simply finding a door that was unlocked.

Same with car thefts. Uhh, hello? WHY wouldn't you lock your doors?


----------



## Lasair (Jan 25, 2010)

A locked door will only keep an innocent person out


----------



## Resonance (Feb 11, 2010)

jhanniffy said:


> My door is self locking lol


Yeah this, but at my parents house they aren't and they lock them at night or when they go out, so yes either way.


----------



## Glacial (Jun 16, 2010)

I always do. It's second nature--don't even think about it, I just do it, almost like putting on my seatbelt.


----------



## AussiePea (Mar 27, 2007)

When I am home I never lock anything, only time I lock is when I go to sleep. Even leave the doors wide open sometimes lol.


----------



## lostinlife (Jun 2, 2010)

jhanniffy said:


> A locked door will only keep an innocent person out


True, but most criminally-minded people also look for easy targets. An open door is just asking for trouble in the world we live in.


----------



## Canadian Brotha (Jan 23, 2009)

I do but my experience in small towns is that most people there don't, you simply knock & then walk in. In the city you grow up with the lock the door mentality because there are thousands of strangers all around at all times but in towns people tend to know everyone if not in person than by association & gossip travels fast so there's less of the "anonymous criminal incentive" to take advantage of people. That said crime happens everywhere


----------



## leonardess (Jun 30, 2009)

I'm on a tiny, fairly remote island. if someone wants to work _that hard_ just find it and to make something happen, they should be rewarded somehow. as long as they don't mess with the neighbor's cats, I don't much care.


----------



## diamondheart89 (Mar 21, 2011)

Speaking of locks, I usually don't but my neighborhood just got robbed last night. O.O They stole a bunch of things from the people two houses down from me and 11 other houses and were apparently carrying handguns , and here I was, sitting downstairs with the doors all unlocked and blissfully unaware til 4 am in the morning. It was just luck that they didn't try my house. It gives me chills to think about it. :afr I just found out this evening what happened and the whole neighborhood is all in an uproar because people never get robbed here, it's a pretty quiet and decent place.


----------



## shadowmask (Jun 22, 2009)

Ospi said:


> When I am home I never lock anything, only time I lock is when I go to sleep. Even leave the doors wide open sometimes lol.


This. I don't even lock it when I go to sleep. In fact, I used to fall asleep with my apartment door open a handful of times, which was completely retarded in retrospect, considering the types of people I lived around.


----------



## rgrwng (Aug 25, 2011)

i always lock my doors, but i have a fantasy that some day my home will be broken into, at which point i will die at their hands (or weapons), completing my life's true ambition.


----------



## Paul (Sep 26, 2005)

Locking your door to stop a murderer from shooting you is of course ludicrous. In the unlikely event there's a door to door murder service, they can simply knock to get you to answer (dressed up as the UPS guy if necessary).

However, being just as ludicrously irrational myself, I tend to lock my door when I'm inside but often leave it unlocked when I go out. It's just a pointless sense of security keeping the world at bay thing, and I don't have anything worth stealing and don't like fumbling with keys.


----------



## cafune (Jan 11, 2011)

Yup, and it strikes me as odd not to. 

My mom goes so far as to making sure that the windows are closed if we leave the house or aren't in that room too. Probably unnecessary but a precaution she likes to take all the same.


----------



## huh (Mar 19, 2007)

At my old apartments usually not, at this one I do.


----------



## Akane (Jan 2, 2008)

In Iowa generally only those in crowded areas like apartment complexes with unsecured doors in to the building lock their doors. People on farms never do and people in houses in small towns (which is 90% of Iowa) rarely do. It was common growing up to be able to walk in to someone's house without knocking. We haven't been bothering to lock the door to our individual condo that has doors to the building which require a code or key. I found it amusing when I had a boyfriend move up here from Atlanta and he freaked about not locking the apartment door or his car. If you went outside for 10mins the door had to be locked and the button on the car keys had to be hit 2 times so it beeped to be sure it was locked. Then 2 rows down you pass convertibles with the top down in the parking lot. 

Growing up on a farm I'm in the habit of leaving keys in the vehicle because people on a farm may need to move it. You don't have 1 garage where each vehicle fits. You have various buildings with trucks, tractors, cars, and trailers lined up several deep or sections of gravel driveway where things are parked in rows. I never did lock my truck in the 8 years I owned it even when I was living in the apartment and currently my suv and condo door keys are sitting in my suv in the unsecured parking lot with the back door cracked open cause the latch broke. That's entirely normal here. Occasionally I find some other person has tried to shut my broken suv door for me because the lights don't turn out for 10 or 15mins if all the doors aren't latched so they are probably trying to keep my battery from draining. Even though the lights have auto off eventually I finally hit the dome override switch so they don't stay on at all and random strangers would stop trying to fix it for me.


----------



## mcmuffinme (Mar 12, 2010)

i do, but it's moreso because i don't want family members to walk in on my sitting in the dark, smoking weed, browsing the internet. it's a shameful thing, lol.


----------



## Dane (Jul 27, 2009)

On the farm we only lock the doors at night. Even then there is one door that we've lost the key to, so it's never locked, although it isn't the easiest to get through because it's partially blocked by furniture.

When I'm living in a town or city my doors are locked about 90% of the time.


----------



## whiterabbit (Jan 20, 2006)

When I first moved out on my own I was pretty terrified about everything and would always make sure to lock my windows and door, but over time I've grown to not care at all.

I leave windows open when I go out, I never lock the door at night, I almost always lock it when I go out to work or wherever, but, occasionally, if I can't find my key in the morning or whatever, I'll just leave it unlocked. I leave my door open a lot when I'm in, and have also gone to sleep with it wide open.

There have been robberies and attempted robberies around here, and, in fact, this very house had it's roof slates stolen a couple of years ago, but it's so quiet and out of the way at the end of a cul de sac that I can't help but feel like I live out in the countryside, even though if I walk for fifteen minutes I'm in the inner city. 

In conclusion, I'm stupid and reckless, but I'll carry on because apathy owns me.


----------



## purplefruit (Jan 11, 2011)

Reminds me, this morn I was frantically searching for my housekeys. They were stuck in the door :hahaI forgot them there yesterday after I stumbled into my flat with my trolley filled with like 50lbs of groceries.

Anyway I always lock the door and put the slidey lock thing in too. You know, that little rod thing you see in toilet stalls, I don't know what it's called.


----------



## Stilla (May 13, 2009)

I guess it's better to be safe than sorry but I just think that if someone was desperate enough to get in they'd find a way, even if the doors are locked or not. 
But I think it depends on what area you live in as well... I mean were I live, I feel pretty safe but if I were to live in a bigger city, like London for an example I'd make sure to lock them everytime.


----------



## successful (Mar 21, 2009)

Door Locked, Gun Cocked.
Double check all 4 locks on each door before i go to sleep.

If you live in America & don't lock your doors then....i don't even.....good luck:blank


----------



## Charizard (Feb 16, 2011)

Nah. There are no thieves here.

Lock my gf's door though, her city is not so happy.


----------



## Encantado (Jan 31, 2011)

I was never that bothered about locking doors until I got my room broken into and dragged out my bed by a gang of supposedly unknown men, until I figured that I knew one of them then he came back saying he had nothing to do with it. Totally messed my head up and have had OCD locking doors since, it has got alot better though, in the daytime I feel fine leave doors unlocked, its just at night I have to have my bedroom locked and weapons in my room:sus it just makes me feel safer knowing that im prepared in case anything does happen.
Im quite aggressive if I think somebody is sneaking about or on whatever property im living on. One time when I was at my mothers house she had somebody who kept trying to intimidate her pulling into her drive with blacked out windows and would just stay parked in the drive for hours and then leave, she ignored them but rang the police who couldnt do anything. I wanted to drop paint on their car or ring people up to surround the car. Instead I just opened the window upstairs and sat staring through the blacked out windows. I dunno I think acting all scared in situations or overly aggressive is what people want you to do.


----------



## Double Indemnity (Aug 15, 2011)

I keep my doors locked. A burglary or robbery is a big fear of mine.


----------



## Double Indemnity (Aug 15, 2011)

LynnNBoys said:


> Just at night and if I'm going to be gone for a little bit.
> 
> There was a home invasion a few towns over. It's just a heartbreaking story. Dr. Petit's wife and 2 daughters were raped and killed. The trial of the second suspect is going on now.
> 
> http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/petit_family/index.html


I read the details of this case awhile back. It's going to stay with me for a long time - probably forever. The hell that poor family had to endure.


----------



## UndreamingAwake (Apr 11, 2011)

We always lock our doors at night, despite living in a relatively rural area. Then again, we've had our shed raided at least twice.


----------



## Tugwahquah (Apr 13, 2011)

I do most times. The dogs will stand and bark at anyone that pulls in the driveway anyway. 
People are too scared to even get out of their cars. :boogie


----------



## quietgal (Oct 18, 2007)

LynnNBoys said:


> Just at night and if I'm going to be gone for a little bit.
> 
> There was a home invasion a few towns over. It's just a heartbreaking story. Dr. Petit's wife and 2 daughters were raped and killed. The trial of the second suspect is going on now.
> 
> http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/petit_family/index.html


I heard about that...horrifying.

Personally I feel pretty safe in my neighborhood. I lock the doors at night and when I go out, but admittedly, someone could probably easily get into my apartment through the fire escape, which I tend to keep open on nice days. I've climbed in that way on occasion myself, after forgetting my key to the building. Though our building has a faulty back door that nobody ever bothers to close properly, so people can usually get into our building without a key.

A lot of elderly folks live on the street and in the complex, so they're always keeping an eye out, having nothing better to do I guess. There used to be this lik 99 year old Russian gentleman that sat on the back porch all day, watching people come in and out. We called him the watchman. But he passed away last winter, sadly.


----------



## SusanStorm (Oct 27, 2006)

I always lock the door and it's not because I worry that someone will break in or something.I've just always done it because I'm paranoid that people will just walk in when I'm not ready lol.
We live in the basement of my boyfriends parents and they never lock the door and to me that just sounds weird  Probably them living so close has intensified my fear of people just walking in..

Ever since I moved by myself,whether it was in the city or in a more rural place I've just always done that.


----------



## blue the puppy (Jul 23, 2011)

i always lock my doors. i live alone, though it is a relatively safe area, i dont want to give anyone the opportunity.


----------



## PickleNose (Jul 11, 2009)

I lock everything.


----------



## Still Waters (Sep 18, 2008)

ALWAYS!! It's true,if someone wanted in badly enough they could still break in,but why make it easier for them? Also,that bit of advance warning,could be just the few seconds/minutes I would need to call 911 or get out. I've heard the police say the number one deterrent to having your car stolen is simply locking the doors-many criminals will search for the one that is unlocked.


----------



## CMPS (Jul 10, 2011)

Of course. I live in a rural area, but still lock the door all the time. I feel it is a necessity out here because if someone was trying to break in, one of the neighbors probably wouldn't see since there's so many trees and we're spread apart. If someone really tried to get in, they could, but why make it as easy as possible? 

For those who live on farms, don't think you're immune. Look up the Clutter family in 1959 Kansas. 'In Cold Blood'. :afr


----------



## Meli24R (Dec 9, 2008)

I live in a small rural neighborhood and we always lock our doors at night or when out. I don't know why anyone would think that they're safe just because they're in a rural area. 
The house was broken into years ago. My mom, sister and I were upstairs at the time and we heard a loud noise. They didn't take anything, but the back door was left wide open and the phone was taken off the hook (this was before we owned cordless phones) I think my dogs may have scared them off. Another time my parents forgot to shut the front door completely after taking a walk. I heard the screen door open at around 9pm. My dog went crazy, the door slammed shut and then I heard running on the porch. That was pretty scary. The room I was in is only a couple of feet away from the front door and I had nowhere to hide.


----------



## Akane (Jan 2, 2008)

In my entire lifespan so far I can name 1 break in that happened on a farm and my mom could probably name one more. I can name 5 or 6 that happened to locked apartments or dorms. At one of the university dorms a group of several 20 something guys broke down the door of a nearby dorm with 1 female home and raped her. A door doesn't stop anyone who really wants to get in but living in the middle of nowhere with few people going by to attempt anything and then most farms having a dog or 3 it makes it very unlikely someone is going to try it even though no one locks their doors or vehicles. You may be able to name a random news story here and there but it's extremely uncommon and you can find 5-10times as many stories of locked apartments and in town houses being broken in to.


----------



## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Just Lurking said:


> All the time. I've read enough stories of robberies (and worse) where the m/o was simply finding a door that was unlocked.


Yeah, there are burglars who'll pick their target simply by checking doors to find one that's unlocked. It's hard to imagine any easier way to deter crime. I've yet to see any exterior door that lacked a lock, so you simply need to use what's already there.

There is a danger to locks though. I once knew a woman who locked herself in her house, having left the key to the double cylinder deadbolt in her car. The person she lived with left & locked the door, locking her in till they came home. This likely explains why double cylinder deadbolts are almost universally turned into ordinary deadbolts by folks simply leaving the key in the door at all times, lest they need to call a locksmith and say "I've locked myself in my house. Could you send somebody to release me?":lol



Just Lurking said:


> Same with car thefts. Uhh, hello? WHY wouldn't you lock your doors?


I recall reading that 25% of cars stolen had keys in the ignition. I take the keys out and lock the doors. If anybody wants my car I demand they do at least a little bit of work for it.

I also lock doors when in a car. Car jacking isn't as easy when a guy can't simply open your door and toss you out. Addittedly, I'd deem the risk of such very low, but then locking doors is very easy so why not?


----------



## Diacetylmorphine (Mar 9, 2011)

Only when I go to bed or when everyone leaves the house, sometimes I will sleep with the bedroom window open.


----------



## regimes (Aug 24, 2011)

i'm ocd so i tend to lock my doors /windows / everything else a few times. 

it peeves the crap out of me when my friends don't lock their doors.


----------



## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

regimes said:


> it peeves the crap out of me when my friends don't lock their doors.


Most homes really have pathetic security in terms of their doors. Even the best deadbolt isn't going to stop much if one can simply break the glass and easily reach in to open it. Most doors are made to look pretty, not for real security. Security doesn't look so pretty, being a solid door with only a peep hole & no windows to the side of the door either. Most people aren't going to like the aesthetics of that "drug house-style" door that even cops would need a moment to bash in.

But even in the case of a piss poor door locking is a good idea. At least any intruder would have to make noise breaking glass and risk a potential cut. No point in a bad guy even making that minimal effort if your neighbor's house is open.


----------



## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

regimes said:


> i'm ocd so i tend to lock my doors /windows / everything else a few times.


I have OCD, but not about that issue. I do lock all windows unless they need to be opened for ventilation. Using central air, most windows in my home haven't been opened in the last 20 years.


----------



## spacebound_rocketship (Nov 21, 2009)

Only if I'm the last one up and no one else has locked the doors.
Or if I go out.

I sometimes sleep with my bedroom window open and it's about 7 metres from the road.
When I'm in the house I don't lock them?
Do you?


----------



## Haunty (Oct 24, 2008)

I live in a rural area and keep my doors locked. I don't lock my car doors unless I'm in a city though.


----------



## Jnmcda0 (Nov 28, 2003)

I lock the doors when I'm away and at night if I think about it. I live in a safe neighborhood with very little crime.


----------



## equiiaddict (Jun 27, 2006)

Always, there's just too many sketchy people out there and you never know.


----------



## mysterioussoul (Jul 17, 2010)

of course. it's crazy not to no matter where you live. my friend's family do not lock their doors because they live in a community village and feel it's safe. well, nothing have ever happened to them so i guess it is.


----------



## emmaaa (Aug 12, 2011)

I live in a small town in ontario. An alright neighbourhood. Although there wouldn't even be much to steal if someone did break in. I guess my mother just never worried about that kind of thing.


----------



## rdrr (Dec 31, 2008)

Michael Moore implored I lock my door. Now I lock it all the time, both locks.


----------



## extraordinary (Sep 10, 2011)

Always. I've experienced too many instances of people trying my front door just to see if it will open. Even leaving it unlocked for 30 seconds is enough for someone to grab my laptop and leave unnoticed.


----------



## Illmatic123 (Sep 15, 2011)

Only at night. I can handle an intruder if I'm awake, but what am I supposed to do if I'm asleep? I have a dog, so hopefully he'd wake me up with his barking before an intruder could get the lock undone/kick the door in.


----------



## BehindTheseHazelEyes (Oct 27, 2009)

I can't go to bed without making sure all the windows and doors are locked.


----------



## MindOverMood (Dec 12, 2009)

We only lock them at night.


----------



## Xtraneous (Oct 18, 2011)

Yup ^_^


----------



## straightarrows (Jun 18, 2010)

I'm living in a big ciity,, still it's a safe country,,, but YES,,,

just imagine kids living around us entered the house! then take a tour,, they need to pie! :b:b

wow,, I thought all americans r crazy abouyt safty and they all have guns!:b:yes this is how they llok like on TV!:um


----------



## sweetD (Sep 6, 2011)

I live in a quiet suburban area and we have to lock our doors,day and night. This country isn't the safest. Most houses have high walls, electric fences, security gates, dogs, burglar bars, most suburbs have 24/7 security patrol, some communities are gated - yup, its not cool. Doesn't make a difference, break-ins have started happening during the day when people are away at work.


----------



## straightarrows (Jun 18, 2010)

sweetD said:


> I live in a quiet suburban area and we have to lock our doors,day and night. This country isn't the safest. Most houses have high walls, electric fences, security gates, dogs, burglar bars, most suburbs have 24/7 security patrol, some communities are gated - yup, its not cool. Doesn't make a difference, break-ins have started happening during the day when people are away at work.


let me guess! South africa?


----------



## sweetD (Sep 6, 2011)

straightarrows said:


> let me guess! South africa?


Haha! Yes. How we have to live is actually absurd, and sad.


----------



## straightarrows (Jun 18, 2010)

sweetD said:


> Haha! Yes. How we have to live is actually absurd, and sad.


I saw it on TV,, people always say it's beautiful but dangros!! and very $$$ (a lot of people from this country visits SA)

always woundering y things r like that in SA?? I visited other african coutries and non-look like that! :yes


----------



## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

Jcgrey said:


> I'm not asking because I'm planning to sneak over. I'm asking because
> this story about the Indiana shooting (5 people killed in a rural area). says that
> people are planning to start locking their doors. I am surprised that rural Americans
> still don't lock their doors.
> ...


This is in my news area.

This crime was apparently not random, but drug-related. There is a guy who was arrested and he does have a record with drugs, and this may have been an incident of his doing. That's the latest I remember about this case.


----------



## Relz (Oct 31, 2011)

Always. I live in a pretty low crime area, but I still wont take the risk of leaving my door unlocked, even when I am awake and inside with someone else. I always think that the one time I DON'T lock the door will be the one time something does happen. :O


----------



## nycdude (Mar 20, 2010)

I live in an Apartment with security so no need to lock my doors.


----------



## Misanthropic79 (May 6, 2011)

I never used to worry about it much but.....

One day my fam had just left the house for a weekend away and I set the PS2 up in the lounge (take advantage of the big TV) and got ready for a nights gaming then I heard the front door open and thought "Oh they've forgotten something."

So I turn around in my chair and there's this guy just standing there staring at me and at first I thought I was seeing s**t. Anyway after a few seconds my brain starts functioning and I said "Who the f**k are you?" and he said he was looking for some guy (never heard of the name) and I said "Nobody here by that name." but he just stood there and kept staring at me.

Now next to me on the couch were my 2 Rotties who were trained to be calm until I pointed at something and said the word and it crossed my mind to do it but he would've been torn to shreds and I was actually that f**ked off that he was just standing there not leaving that I decided I personally wanted the fun of teaching him some manners so I got up and said "You better get the f**k out" but as soon as I started moving towards him he bailed quick smart, ran out to his car and took off like a flash!

It was really weird and I was amped for a couple of hours afterwards, it's something I'll never forget. So since that day I always lock the doors.


----------



## kelsomania (Oct 12, 2010)

We always keep our door locked, even when we are home. 

Last year, a strange man jiggled the door knob for a few seconds and then left. I don't know what he would have done to us if it was unlocked. It was pretty scary.


----------



## caseyblue (Oct 3, 2011)

Yes!! And I have guard dogs.


----------



## losinghope (Mar 29, 2011)

Always have to lock my doors. Even with family, can't sleep if they are unlocked.


----------



## Ashley1990 (Aug 27, 2011)

yes i do..i like to be alone while m at home...


----------



## Neutrino (Apr 11, 2011)

Used to not keep them locked when someone was home, even sometimes when no one was home. But lately there have been incidents where people try to enter occupied homes, so we've been locking them all the time now.


----------



## copper (Nov 10, 2003)

Yeah at night and when I am not here. There are occasional break ins. The break ins are usually kids looking for prescription drugs, or money. Recently two teens broke into an elderly ladies house and stole her SS check. They were caught and am in court right now. Been an increase in thefts due to the bad economy.


----------



## copper (Nov 10, 2003)

okcancel said:


> Used to not keep them locked when someone was home, even sometimes when no one was home. But lately there have been incidents where people try to enter occupied homes, so we've been locking them all the time now.


We all know it is getting bad when the Canadians start locking their doors. :lol


----------

