Secure Your Home Before Hitting the Road for the Holidays (4218 hits)
The holidays are a busy time of year for travel. According to U.S. Department of Transportation Statistics, the number of long-distance trips by Americans increases by 54 percent during the Thanksgiving travel period. The number rises by 23 percent during Christmas and New Year’s, compared to the average number for the remainder of the year.
Burglars can take advantage of these out-of-town trips to break into homes. According to Nationwide claims data over the past three years, there were almost 15,000 home thefts in the peak holiday travel months of November, December and January.
As homeowners travel, they leave themselves more vulnerable to the occurrence of home theft.
Nationwide Insurance reminds consumers to: * Lock doors and close windows before leaving the house. According to a Nationwide*survey, 25 percent of homeowners acknowledged leaving the front door of their home unlocked when leaving the house at least once in the past year. * Install a home security system and turn it on when you leave. 20 percent of homeowners with an alarm system who were surveyed don’t activate it during the day, even though that’s when most thefts occur.
