By Lexi Lunsford, Guest Writer
Learning to drive comes with many rules, all to ensure safety. Fasten your seatbelt, press the brake to start the car and ease onto the road with caution. Allow your eyes to constantly search for what comes next and keep your head on a swivel as you progress down the busy street. Obey speed limits and come to complete stops at every large red octagon. When you approach the demanding three lights ahead, quickly recall that green means go and red means stop. Always use the small blinking arrows to signal your next move, and never text while in control of the vehicle.
I learned all of these things and took them very seriously. I was focused on these details every time I got in the driver’s seat, and I understood the responsibility I held when my hands gripped the wheel. They became muscle memory.
While all of these things are essential to my safety, one major thing about driving that I didn’t learn was the important fact of locking the vehicle every time I leave it. Not only that, but also that the keys should never be left inside the vehicle.
I grew up in the country. Besides my grandparents, who live on our property, the closest neighbors we have are sweet Mr. and Mrs. Carlson, who live miles away down our county road. When I learned to drive, I gained a habit of never locking my car because of the minimal danger
surrounding my house. Our old county road lacks visitors, and the area is unfamiliar to basic worldly issues. Houses stay unlocked, security cameras are irrelevant, and keys are at home in the center console of every car.
It wasn’t until my junior year at college that I realized this lifestyle wasn’t typical, nor was it safe. It began when my boyfriend, Garrett, would move my car to different places around campus without me knowing. I would walk out of Gosser Hall to drive my car somewhere, and it would be in a completely different parking lot. He did this to try to teach me that my habits were unsafe and that anyone could get into my car at any point. I thought this prank was harmless and hilarious, so I didn’t make any changes to my habits. Turns out, Garrett was right.
One morning, I went to get something out of my car when I realized a few things were out of place. A pack of gum sitting in the passenger’s seat and the open glove compartment gave me the clue that someone had been in my car. It wasn’t another one of Garrett’s pranks, but rather someone else who didn’t have the harmless intentions Garrett did.
My favorite chapstick, some cash, and my social security card were all stolen. Yes, my social security card. Before you ask, I didn’t know until this day that it was unusual to keep your social security card in the glove compartment of your car; that’s what I had always done at home. I knew it wasn’t misplaced because I don’t often lose things, especially things so important. This is when I realized, maybe locking my car was the right decision after all.
After weeks of conversations with campus safety and Arkadelphia police, I finally got my social security card back and have had no identity problems. From that day forward, locking my car became muscle memory.
