PUT YOUR CAR KEYS BESIDE YOUR BED AT NIGHT!!

[delalluvia]

Not sure where to put this, but I thought this was a good idea.  Just got this e-mailed to me by a friend.  Not sure why he sent it to me.  But it will be handy some day when I actually own a car that locks  :   

 PUT YOUR CAR KEYS BESIDE YOUR BED AT NIGHT

Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your parents your Dr office, the check-out girl at the market, everyone you run across.

Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside  your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will con tinue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.

This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this:

It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar rapist won't stick around... after a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that. And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there .... This is something that should really be shared with everyone.  Maybe e it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.

    P.S. I am sending this to everyone I know because I think it is fantastic. Would also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, where you can't reach a phone. My Mom has suggested to my Dad that he carry his car keys with him in case he falls outside and she doesn't hear him.  He can activate the car alarm and then she'll know there's a problem

 

[delalluvia]

I think the idea is if a car alarm goes off at night and keeps going off there's going to be a lot of now awake irritated people wondering WTF is going on and might indeed stir a disgruntled neighbor into action.

[injest]

I think the idea is if a car alarm goes off at night and keeps going off there's going to be a lot of now awake irritated people wondering WTF is going on and might indeed stir a disgruntled neighbor into action.

yeah if nothing else they will call in to complain about the noise..

[Kelda]

Great idea! Now if only my car had an alarm!

[Kerry]

This is a brilliant idea. I am a gay man in my late 50s who lives alone. Occasionally one reads about elderly people being the victims of home invasions, theft, violence. Such stories make me very nervous.

I presently live in a high-rise building in the city but am considering retiring to a coastal town. Should I decide to do so, I will most certainly be keeping my car keys beside my bed, now that I've read this thread.

Another tip I was given about keys relates to self defense. Most of us carry a big bunch of keys around with us (it's a sign of the times). Should you find yourself in an unsavory part of town, carry your keys in your closed fist, with the keys poking out between your fingers. Should you be attacked, use the keys as a knuckleduster and punch the crook in the eyes at the same time you knee him in the nuts. And then run like f***ing hell away from there as fast as you can. 

[southendmd]

Good tips.

And, Kerry, I don't think of you as elderly.

[serious crayons]

Yes, that is a great idea. I just went and tested it. My car was in front of the house, so I stood in the back of the house and pressed the alarm key. Sure enough, it went off (I stopped it right away).

No one's probably going to run outside, but I would think someone might call the police in annoyance. At the very least, the burglar would think there's enough of a chance someone would, not to risk sticking around.

I've done the carkeys-through-the-fingers thing. Never had to use it, luckily, but it does make me feel a tiny bit safer when walking in a parking ramp at night or something.

[opinionista]

Good idea but be careful if you have a cat on the house. Old folks in Spain who live alone are given some kind of beeper that if they fall or something, they just press it and emergency services are alerted. They're supposed to wear it on their wrist. Well, a few nights ago it seems like the lady next door took it out before going to sleep and her cat stepped on it. There was such a hassle at three in the morning, the paramedics banging on her door waking everybody and their brother in the building. Some people thought there was a fire. The lady is hard of hearing and didn't hear the doorbell. I didn't hear it either but my sister had to wake me up because the paramedic needed to come into my room to jump into the inner yard to knock on her window. So keep beepers away from cats.

[Kerry]

Good tips.

And, Kerry, I don't think of you as elderly.

Thank you kindly, Paul. Mighty nice of you to say that.     My avatar photo at left was only taken about a fortnight ago. I've always taken care of myself and watched what I eat (never particularly been much into food). Alas, however, there's no escaping the fact that I am a 58yo gay man who lives alone and tips such as the car alarm idea make me feel lots safer. 

{{{Paul}}}

Another very good idea I heard from a policeman. He said that most people remain silent when they're being attacked, 'cause they're in shock. He advised it was important to make as much noise as you can when being attacked. And he advised against yelling, "Help!" Apparently, when people hear someone yelling, "Help!" they think it's just someone larking about and joking. If you find yourself being attacked, yell "FIRE!" over and over again, as loudly as you can. It's been proven that people will drop everything and investigate, when they hear a call of "FIRE!"

[optom3]

This advise was also given to me by the police in U.K as at the time there was a spate of car robberies where the keys were left on say a hall table along with house keys.Thieves were using a device like a long fishing rod with a magnet and pushing it through the letter box.That way they got house and car keys.Scary.
Anyway another reason to take keys to bed with you.So any one with a letter box thats what we were advised to do,after it happened to a neighbour of ours.