<p>Our house is always locked, mainly so we don’t have to remember to lock it at night. After living in central PA for several years, I’ve gotten out of the habit of locking the car doors when I’m driving—carjackings were way too common in northern VA to drive an unlocked car.</p>
<p>Our car doors lock automatically when we start driving.</p>
<p>I hate those autolocking car doors!</p>
<p>We do keep our garage door down as much as possible, we have been victimized by some local thieves repeatedly. I keep my back up pantry items on a garage shelf and those darned racoons have opened and eaten nuts, chips, cookies, anything in a tearable wrapper. I am more perspicacious in my pantry items in the garage, but they took it too far last winter when they stole baking chocolate and peanut butter! They tried to pull a Reese’s commercial, but could not open the jar.</p>
<p>We once discovered a bike stolen from the locked garage. But I think it must have happened a few nights earlier when the big garage door was accidentally open all night (a very rare occurrence). Luckily the thief just took one bike near the door and ignored the pricier bikes hanging further back in the garage. </p>
<p>I also have dogs that bark at anyone approaching the house and one is big. Even the big dog will jump up on the huge still of my bay window when anyone comes to our door. I think burglars tend to avoid homes which have dogs. </p>
<p>We usually lock the door between the garage and the house, but not always. Sometimes of Dh is out running or I am dashing out I might not lock it. But, the garage door sometimes misbehaves, so if I don’t lock the inside door I find myself feeling like have to sit in the driveway and make sure the garage door closes. So, its a toss up. We also tend to lock the door between the basement and the house (at the top of the basement stairs) just in case someone were to break in the basement. Also keep the front and back doors locked. We live in a nice area but there have been break ins, so why tempt fate.</p>
<p>Had to go and look to see if there even was a lock on the door to the garage! We don’t keep cars in the garage and have no outside button to open the garage door. The only lock on the door to the garage is the little turn button, the same kind of lock on the bed room and bathroom doors so I don’t think it would help much. We have four exterior doors that are mostly glass and it would be simple to break the glass and unlock the deadbolt. </p>
<p>Thankfully we live in a very safe area and all of our abutting and across the street neighbors work from home so we keep an eye out for each other. </p>
<p>I lock it when I am in the house. When I am gone I do not. My garage door is always closed unless I am right in the yard. I figure if someone is in the garage while I am gone, they probably already broke through the back door into the garage, which is kept locked. They can’t be seen from the street once inside the garage, and certainly will break through the door to inside. So… I figure it is one less thing to repair/replace in a break-in, because I believe they will get in anyway.</p>
<p>The main reason I lock it when I am inside is because it seals tighter when locked, so keeping heat and cooling in the house better.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Most of the kids in my dorm were from cities, but pretty much none of us locked our doors. I actually don’t know anyone who locked their door regularly, unless there had been an incident recently on campus. As a desk worker in the dorm, I learned it was not uncommon to lock doors on floors other than my own, but I still never started locking mine!</p>
<p>I live in probably the safest area of my city. Nevertheless:
- Doors are always locked
- Alarms are always on even when we are home
- Security doors always locked
- Security cameras are always on
- Garage always closed
- GPS Home setting is to the supermarket 3 miles away
- Guns always loaded, locked in fingerprinted gun boxes in every room
- We always do home invasion drills
- Cars always locked in the garage with alarms on
- Security camera in the garage</p>
<p>And recently, an anti gun physician was a home invasion victim and he is adopting my high security environment. My goal is to let the criminals pick a target easier than mine.</p>
<p>I don’t understand why you wouldn’t lock a door. That’s why they have locks. The default is locked. The door to the garage might be unlocked during the day, but locked at night. Sometimes I might take the dog for a walk and not lock the door, but I’ll throw on the alarm. </p>
<p>Don’t lock the door from the house to the garage but all other external doors are locked at night and when we are away, not when I’m at home…we really don’t have much crime but we are seeing an increase in neighborhood juvenile nuisance activity and that does bother me. 13 years in our home and never a problem but recently I’ve seen a pack of late middle school or early high school kids roaming the neighborhood at night. Maybe they are just out for a walk but it just looks odd to me and sends that “up to no good” chill up my spine. </p>
<p>I don’t lock my door… Instead, I booby-trap them with explosives. It works great - no burglars have been able to get past them. The only problem is that my cats trigger the traps periodically, so I have to replace the door and all windows that get blown out… Oh, yes, and the cats have to be replaced, too. </p>
<p>Major kidding. 
Yes, locks are meant to be locked. </p>
<p>Threeofthree, your instincts are right. A pack of middle schoolers roaming at night = trouble. </p>
<p>I don’t lock my door but I always locked my dorm room in college. </p>
<p>Pizzagirl–Doors have locks so if you want to lock them, you can. I’m not sure why you don’t understand it is a choice. Especially in teh summer, it’s hot out. I open the door to let the breeze in. Besides, if you lock the doors, you need to remember keys. </p>
<p>It’s very freeing to not worry about it. Frugaldoctor’s life would be a daily loss for me.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>When I was in college, the RAs were always telling people to lock their doors, and not prop open the main doors. But people left their doors unlocked, and often propped open the main doors to let their friends in. But those habits let thieves in, so theft reports were not rare.</p>
<p>garland, some doctors treat mentally ill… Some perform abortions… I can see why a doctor could be extra cautious. I’m glad that there are some brave souls who chose those career paths. </p>
<p>I walked in today and not only was the back door unlocked …the sliding glass was two feet open…and it’s 107 out. ARGH! </p>
<p>Put me down as another person who lived in areas where break ins via garages is common…it seems they can key the remotes to work on your door maybe?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I agree, garland (and emilybee). We don’t lock our doors except at night, and people have been known to forget even then. But we have one huge watch dog and an even scarier ankle-biter. 
My property is unusual, with a fairly unappealing (to burglars) front entrance and a completely inaccessible back. And I don’t have a garage.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Older garage door openers had limited numbers of codes which remain fixed until the owner changes them in the remote and opener. Newer garage door openers may have rolling codes with far more possible codes and changing transmissions every time.</p>