Tire theft sparks several solutions
Leigh Bishop
Issue date: 3/17/10 Section: News
Sometime between midnight Sunday, March 7th, and 6:25 Sunday morning, all four tires were stolen off of a student's car parked in Lot B in the parking space adjacent to Calhoun. Unfortunately for the student, who wishes to remain anonymous, the security camera was not working at the time of the incident, so the person and/or party responsible was not caught on tape. The reason the security cameras did not work was due to their connection to Turner Hall, which recently got demolished. On top of that, the victim does not feel that she was personally targeted by the incident, thus providing having no leads in that regard.
Besides a student being robbed like this and not having the help of the security camera, another unfortunate aspect of this crime cannot be overlooked. These were tires. Unlike just about any other item, you cannot lock tires up. While wheel locks exist, they are on the expensive side, not to mention inconvenient. Also, they draw attention to the wheels, leading robbers like the ones in this incident to think of ways to break it. Tires cannot be taken off your car every night and locked in your dorm room with your laptop, books, and clothes. Besides making students feel helpless in protecting their personal property, this incident also poses the question: Will it happen again?
There is no easy solution to prevent another person's tires and wheels from getting stolen, but there is one thing as a student body we all can participate in: Driving well.
While this scenario is highly unlikely, it is not impossible. What if her driving annoyed these robbers so much that they decided to go steal all four of her tires? If you Google "getting followed home while driving," story after story about this happening has happened.
For students with Drury bumper stickers on their cars, all this infuriated driver has to do is write down the license plate and go searching through the lots later. Don't let this happen to you by being a good driver. Don't tailgate, don't cut anybody off, and use the slow lane if you go the speed limit.
Besides a student being robbed like this and not having the help of the security camera, another unfortunate aspect of this crime cannot be overlooked. These were tires. Unlike just about any other item, you cannot lock tires up. While wheel locks exist, they are on the expensive side, not to mention inconvenient. Also, they draw attention to the wheels, leading robbers like the ones in this incident to think of ways to break it. Tires cannot be taken off your car every night and locked in your dorm room with your laptop, books, and clothes. Besides making students feel helpless in protecting their personal property, this incident also poses the question: Will it happen again?
There is no easy solution to prevent another person's tires and wheels from getting stolen, but there is one thing as a student body we all can participate in: Driving well.
While this scenario is highly unlikely, it is not impossible. What if her driving annoyed these robbers so much that they decided to go steal all four of her tires? If you Google "getting followed home while driving," story after story about this happening has happened.
For students with Drury bumper stickers on their cars, all this infuriated driver has to do is write down the license plate and go searching through the lots later. Don't let this happen to you by being a good driver. Don't tailgate, don't cut anybody off, and use the slow lane if you go the speed limit.
Article last update: 3/16/10 at 7:28 PM CST
Be the first to comment on this story