Simple question for everyone, do you lock your vehicle? The reason we're asking is because nearly $10,000 of cash was stolen from someone's vehicle because it was left unlocked.

According to mlive.com:

The cash was stolen from vehicle parked in the 7000 block of 6 Mile Road, near I Drive South in Calhoun County’s Newton Township, Michigan State Police said in a news release sent Oct. 10.

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My only other thought here is why would anyone leave that much cash just sitting in the car? There's no way I would have left all that money unattended. I would have taken it with me once I left the vehicle.

The best thing you can do anytime you're not driving your vehicle is to lock it, and keep it locked until you're back in the vehicle again.

I lock my vehicle no matter where I park it. I even lock it when it sits in the driveway. You just never know what's going to happen these days, so it's best to lock it and make sure the keys are out of the ignition.

Even the Michigan State Police are advising motorists to lock their vehicles. You would not believe how many vehicles are stolen every 44 seconds in the United State.

This from clickondetroit.com:

Also, according to the Michigan State Police, a vehicle is stolen every 44 seconds in the U.S. Nearly half of those thefts involve an unlocked vehicle or keys left in an ignition.

Residents are urged to be aware of suspicious vehicles in their neighborhood. If something appears out of place, a report should be made to the police.

If purchasing or selling a vehicle online, be sure to make the transaction at a police station or Secretary of State's Office during business hours. Don't make the sale in a private place or at your home.

A few more pointers when it comes to preventing auto theft.  And this is something I do every single day.

1. Make sure your windows are closed when your vehicle is parked.

2. Do not leave any valuables in your vehicle and that means cash too.

3. Never leave your car running unattended.

4. Keep your vehicle in a garage, if possible.

5. Purchase a steering wheel block and install a car alarm.

If you follow the above tips and information, you should have no problems when it comes to auto theft.

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

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