Auto Club Tips: Keeping Your Home Safe During Your Vacation

29 July 1998

Auto Club Tips: Keeping Your Home Safe During Your Vacation

    LOS ANGELES--July 29, 1998--The most popular vacation time of the year can also provide more opportunities for home break-ins.
    Taking a few simple precautions can greatly reduce the risk of burglaries during summer vacations, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.
    "A burglary happens every 13 seconds somewhere in the United States," said Steve Hagen, manager of homeowners' insurance for the Automobile Club. "But most home burglaries can be prevented by creating the appearance that the residence is occupied. Burglars tend to gravitate toward easy targets such as an obviously empty house."

    Hagen offers the following tips to help keep your home safe while you're vacationing:

-- Double-check all door and window locks, and invest in slide-lock
    protection for sliding-glass doors, a frequent point of entry for
    burglars. Garage windows and doors should also be secured.

-- Ask a trusted friend to stop by your home while you are away, or
    to be a housesitter. Ask him or her to turn on lights at night,
    or buy a light-timer set for every evening. Radio timers are also
    a good idea.

-- Temporarily cancel newspaper subscriptions and postpone mail
    delivery.

-- Engrave your name on your large valuables. It makes them less
    attractive to burglars, and also assists with quicker
    identification if they are stolen and recovered.

-- Install an alarm system, which not only can serve as protection
    but may qualify you for a discount on your homeowners' insurance.

-- Consider parking your second vehicle in your driveway while you
    are away -- if it has burglar-alarm protection.

-- Move expensive electronic equipment away from the windows where
    it is easily visible.

-- Don't give your house a "closed-down" look by completely shutting
    drapes and blinds.

-- Make certain your homeowners' insurance is paid and the policy
    suits your current needs.

-- Arrange for lawn service if your trip will be longer than one
    week.

-- Never leave spare keys "hidden" under doormats or anywhere else
    outside the house.

-- If you're departing from a local airport, don't expose personal
    addresses on your luggage tags. Use a business address instead.

-- When you're traveling, safety awareness is also important. The
    Auto Club has a set of travel-safety guidelines available at
     http://www.aaa-calif.com/travel/safety.html on its Web site.

    The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the American Automobile Association (AAA), has been serving members since 1900.
    Today, Auto Club members benefit by the organization's emergency road service; financial products; travel agency and trip planning services; highway and transportation safety programs; insurance products and services; automotive pricing, buying and financing programs; and legislative advocacy.
    Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at http://www.aaa-calif.com.