Car thieves missed out on a golden opportunity to easily steal a vehicle during a break-in, TikToker Hope Woodard (@justhopinalong) claims.
In a viral post that’s accrued over 593,000 views, Woodard relays a story of how she learned that her car was broken into and saw that the thieves removed the contents of the “little box” under the center console of her vehicle’s armrest.
She says had the thieves carefully checked the car’s glove compartment, however, they would’ve seen that her spare key was in there, and they could’ve driven off with the whip as well.
@justhopinalong Bless their heart
♬ original sound – Hope Woodard
“They could have fully stolen my car,” Woodward says. “And I lowkey feel bad for them ’cause I’m like dude, if you’re gonna break into a car, break into a car right. You know what I mean, like?”
One commenter speculated as to why the thieves more than likely weren’t attempting to steal her vehicle, writing, “Low key your car is probably a pos.”
Another TikToker shared their own experience with a car break-in that ultimately worked out in their favor.
“One time someone broke into my car and stole bags of stuff I was gonna take to goodwill so I was just like oh ok cool,” they said,.
Someone else said they had a break-in too, but the damage to goods that were taken wasn’t too bad.
“My car got broken into once but all they stole was a single CD… and it was the Never Say Never album from Justin Bieber,” they said.
“Once my car was broken into and all they took was a bag of coins and a taco mama coupon card,” another person said of what they lost.
CBS News has reported that there’s been an upward trend in motor vehicle theft in the United States in recent years. The outlet reported on statistics provided by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, which stated that in 2021 alone, there were 936,000 reported incidents of auto theft, which was a whopping 27% jump from 2019. Part of these claims included a surge in catalytic converter theft, which saw a 1,215% increase.
While the aforementioned figures represent a general definition of auto theft, the FBI provided detailed figures as to which of these thefts included entire vehicles themselves being stolen: 406,953 in 2020 alone.
That number jumped significantly in 2022. The National Insurance Crime Bureau stated that 1,001,967 were reported stolen, right around the time inflation had hit a 40-year high in the U.S., and chip shortages resulted in obscene price hikes in the automotive industry.
Some newer car brands are purportedly more difficult to steal than others. Recently, a slew of Hyundai models went viral online after social media users demonstrated how they were easily able to steal these vehicles using nothing more than a USB cable and a screwdriver.
Hot Cars listed several newer models of vehicles that the outlet deems nearly “impossible” to steal thanks to a combination of GPS tracking systems, remote start/stop features, primary functions from a smartphone, and other security measures.
Some of the models mentioned in the piece are the 2023 Jaguar XF, Tesla vehicles, the 2023 Land Rover Defender, BMW X3, Nissan Leaf, Audi A4 & A6, Volkswagen Tiguan, 2023 Hyundai Tucson, and the 2012 Lexus HS 250H. Dotsure also named GL and G Wagon models as being difficult to steal as well.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Woodard via email for further comment.
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Source: https://www.dailydot.com/news/spare-car-key-overlooked-by-thief/