With fewer daylight hours and the holidays not too far away, statistics from the Department of Justice indicate that home theft occurrences increase during the fall and winter months.*
“With fewer daylight hours and busier schedules, fall is a prime time for families to update a home security and family safety check-list,” said Rebecca Smith, vice president, marketing for Master Lock. “While safety and security should always be top-of-mind, scheduling times throughout the year to address specific topics such as home alone routines, children’s curfews, and property wellness will help ensure that families continue to improve their security year-round.”
What can you do to ensure that your home, family, and belongings are safe?
Here are 6 simple things to do to keep your home, family, and belongings safer this fall and winter:
- Lock it. Crisp fall weather makes us want to leave the doors and windows open but ensure entry to your home are secure. Check windows, entryways and garages before going to sleep for the night or leaving, even for a short time.
- Plan it. Take some time to sit down and engage the whole family in safety and security planning. Regular family meetings to review house rules curfews, lock-up procedures, and what kids should do if they’re home alone are helpful. Assign roles to each family member gets everyone involved and helps share the responsibility of keeping your home safe.
- Prune it. While you’re raking up the leaves, take some extra time to look at the other trees and shrubs on your property. In an emergency, police should be able to clearly see your home and identify your house number from the street. Pruning landscaping around your doors, windows, and entryway helps ensure that your house can be found easily in the event of an emergency.
- Light it. A well-lit, easily visible home is much less tempting to a potential burglar. Check outdoor light timers to adjust for the change in daylight hours, try solar options that charge themselves and turn-on on automatically, or use home automation systems with lights that can be turned on through an app on your mobile phone or a web-enabled dashboard. Also consider installing lights above doors and near your garage or carport.
- ICE it. While we never want to think about the bad things happening to our kids, it never hurts to be prepared. In Case of Emergency (ICE) contact information can help keep your kids safe. Add parent or guardian names to cell phone contacts labeled with ICE, name and relationship (i.e. ICE John Dad). For kids who don’t have cell phones, it’s also easy to include a card in their backpack to help trusted adult reach Mom or Dad if needed.
Master Lock wants to help you keep your home secure with the Storage Security 5400D key safe. This set-your-own combination lock box holds up to five keys and can be locked to the doorknob or another permanent object to ensure keys are always readily available. A key safe is a great solution for kids who may be coming home to an empty house after school or activities or a grandparent, friend, or babysitter who may be providing temporary childcare in your home and needs a key to get in.
Win a Storage Security 5400D key for your home by leaving a comment below with a fall safety tip before 10/19. Include your email address or Twitter handle in your comment.
For an extra entry, use the social sharing buttons on the left side of this post to Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment letting me know you’ve done so.
Safety tips inspired by my involvement with Master Lock’s Live Secure Safety Squad where I receive products for review and will occasionally host product giveaways. I have not been compensated for my involvement. All opinions are my own.
With the days getting shorter and dusk coming sooner, we have been reminded that we need to educate our 7 year old son on how to keep himself visible outside while riding his bike or playing in the neighborhood. Light colors and even reflective tape on his jacket and bike help a lot. It’s also a great time to make sure outside lighting is working, and even install inexpensive solar lighting around the sidewalk leading to the house.
Thanks for the reminder. It is scary to think about, but so important. We always make a point of locking the cars, even sitting in our driveway, since we heard the news story about intruders getting into a home in our community by using a garage door opener in unlocked car.
Collect your papers and keep the gates and windows secured at night.
I found your security tips really useful – it’s so important to insure your doors and windows are secured, whilst having security lighting is also a great deterrent. That said, I would definitely recommend that women in need of a secure home contact their local locksmith – many trained locksmiths offer free, friendly advice that can enable a much more secure premises at little or no cost. Great article. Thanks!