Poll: Car Keys in the Sun Visor? Does Anybody really do that?

[Olas]

So, I was watching the last episode of Breaking Bad the other day and (Incredibly minor spoilers) at the beginning of the episode we see Walter break into a car and try to hotwire it, only to discover that the keys were left in the car's sun visor. Well isn't that convenient, and ridiculous.

But it's also not the first time I've seen it. If movies are to be believed about 3/4 of all parked cars have their keys right there in the sun visor where literally anyone who breaks in can find them. It's such a cliché I'm surprised it doesn't have a TV Tropes page. And yet it seems unfathomable that anyone would actually do this in real life. Is keeping your keys on your person (or even just somewhere not incredibly obvious) really so challenging?

So out of curiosity, do any of you really do this? Or know people who do?

Edit: My perspective is probably a little biased since I live in St. Louis Missouri where theft, and crime in general, is pretty huge. I also come from a family that's very security conscious, which is another way of saying paranoid, so take that as you will.

 

[lechat]

just to clarify those are not the keys they are the spare keys.

i do not nor do i know anyone who has done that but if you were prone to misplacing your keys i can see why it would happen

 

[montecore]

It's crazy! I used to live in NH/ME and SO many people do that there. Not a ton of auto thefts up in the white mountains and it makes moving cars or borrowing cars really easy. I was watching with a group of people that are from other places and they thought it was nuts that I thought it was pretty normal.

I feel like there must be someone with New England ties on the writing staff that knows people who do this.

 

[WolfThomas]

To be fair Walt kind of lampshades how convenient it was with the look on his face.

 

[piinyouri]

I put mine in my glove box, but I live in the kind of neighborhood that allows me to do that so...yeah.

 

[Veylon]

Sun Visor, nothing. My dad used to leave the keys in the ignition. The genre-savvy movie character trying to steal his car would be in for quite the surprise.

 

[Scolar Visari]

I know I guy who attaches a set of extra keys to the undercarriage of his vehicle with a bit of wire.

They aren't too hard to find, but you either have to know where to look or have a few minutes to go over the whole thing.

 

[spartan231490]

I've known a few people who put their keys there, and I've known a lot of people who put them under the seat, or in the center console, or in the glove-box. Never really got it, always seemed more convenient to carry them, but the rate of car theft in our area is basically zero, so none of them ever got their car stolen.

 

[2HF]

I think a lot of people stopped doing after seeing it in the terminator movie. Their secret had been revealed to the masses. I know that my little brother would leave his sitting on his center console, despite my frequent warnings, right up until his car was broken into.

 

[88chaz88]

Do people not lock their car doors?

 

[Casual Shinji]

Yeah, Terminator 2 had a whole bit involving this practice. And I remember even back then finding it overly convenient. But then I always figured maybe this was an American thing.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I don't keep my keys anywhere in my car and I don't know anybody that does. I don't live in a bad area, but most people keep their doors locked. I could easily leave my car unlocked with the keys stashed somewhere in it and be fine, but in the slim chance that somebody is looking for unlocked cars in a parking lot, I'd rather not give them the opportunity.

 

[lacktheknack]

I keep my keys on me/on the wall hook at home at all times.

My FRIEND, however, does not. He leaves his keys on the turn signal handle. I'm not surprised that people would leave their keys in the sun visor.

 

[Something Amyss]

No one leaves their car unlocked, it's stupid.

Believe it or not, stupid people exist. And stupid people will do stupid things.

 

[ryo02]

just to clarify those are not the keys they are the spare keys.

i do not nor do i know anyone who has done that but if you were prone to misplacing your keys i can see why it would happen

what logic dictates that you should keep your spare keys inside the vehicle they are for while its locked? you may as well not have the spare keys as they wont help you should your primary keys be lost.

they only time they would help like that is if you open the car and then lose the keys while its open?.

I don't have car and even see the MASSIVE holes in this not to mention making it easier to steal.

 

[Yopaz]

I would never do it. I never got it, either.
It only makes sense if you were taking a car from a car dealership, etc, and they left it in a back area, to wash it, or something.

No one leaves their car unlocked, it's stupid. And it's much more sensible to and convieniant to keep your keys with you.

It's a wierd cliche. How do you get your keys if you locked your car? Even if they were spare keys, it's odd.

It's a irrelalvant cliche too, now, since new and newer cars won't lock if keys are inside. To stop people locking their keys in their cars.

Since new and newer cars won't let you lock your keys in them, it needs to stop being shown.

My mom used to leave her car doors unlocked. That said it was a 5 minute walk to our closest neighbour so there wasn't really any danger of the car getting stolen.

 

[Olas]

It's crazy! I used to live in NH/ME and SO many people do that there. Not a ton of auto thefts up in the white mountains and it makes moving cars or borrowing cars really easy. I was watching with a group of people that are from other places and they thought it was nuts that I thought it was pretty normal.

I feel like there must be someone with New England ties on the writing staff that knows people who do this.

Perhaps it's less ridiculous than I thought then, seeing as how Walt is in New Hampshire when stealing the car.

It's a irrelalvant cliche too, now, since new and newer cars won't lock if keys are inside. To stop people locking their keys in their cars.

Since new and newer cars won't let you lock your keys in them, it needs to stop being shown.

The car he's stealing is also really old, es evidenced by the fact that it plays cassette tapes, looks old, and characters later in the episode actually mention how it is really freakin old. I guess the writers did their homework.

 

[the7ofswords]

I think you see this pretty often out in the middle of nowhere, where people and crime are less common. Considering Walt's remote location at that point, I'm not too terribly bothered by it.

I also thought it was an interesting bit of character exposition. Walt's immediate reaction upon breaking in is to attempt to pop the cap off the ignition switch and try to hot-wire the car. He doesn't even think to look for an easier way to deal with his situation. Just like when he had an easier (and legal) way to help his family in the aftermath of his diagnosis, he decided to turn to crime, instead. He over-complicates things ... mostly due to his ego issues.

It hasn't even been a week, and by all the gods, I do miss that show already!

 

[Bad Jim]

Yeah, Terminator 2 had a whole bit involving this practice. And I remember even back then finding it overly convenient.

It wasn't all that convenient. The T800 was about to hotwire the thing anyway.

I've seen people do it in real life too. It's a dumb idea, but people do it. Though I guess it's not as bad as leaving your house key under the doormat.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Yeah, Terminator 2 had a whole bit involving this practice. And I remember even back then finding it overly convenient.

It wasn't all that convenient. The T800 was about to hotwire the thing anyway.

Yeah, it's supposed to be this pay-off scene where it's like, "Look, he's learning. =D", but meanwhile Sarah and John are choking on gas while the Terminator is wasting his time looking for keys.