This holiday season, auto burglars will shop the easy way – by stealing your gifts, purse, wallet, packages, or other valuables you leave in plain sight inside your vehicle. Every 2 minutes, a vehicle is burglarized in Texas with its contents stolen. Obviously, these crimes escalate during this time of year when people increase shopping and don’t take the necessary precautions to protect personal items left in a vehicle.

“We know that auto burglars scout malls and other large parking lots, waiting for the opportunity to break into a vehicle. Within seconds, they take your items, your identity, and sometimes your car,” said Sgt. Tommy Wooley of the Sheriff’s Combined Auto Theft Task Force. “Texas drivers need to understand careless actions with vehicles and items left inside actually help auto burglars and thieves do their job better.”

The Texas Auto Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority and the Sheriff’s Combined Auto Theft Task Force offer three basic safety tips to motorists to prevent these crimes during the holidays, and all year round: Hide your belongings from eyesight, lock your car, and take the keys. Last year, thieves stole nearly 100,000 vehicles in Texas. More than half of those had the vehicle’s keys left inside.

“We want everyone to enjoy the holiday season and not experience the horror and frustration of having their vehicle burglarized or stolen when they can help prevent crimes from happening,” said Susan Sampson, TxDOT’s director for the Auto Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority.

The Authority was created by the Texas Legislature in 1991 to fund programs to reduce vehicle thefts. The passing of House Bill 1887 earlier this year expanded the scope of the program to include automobile burglary prevention and added the term “burglary” to the authority’s title. The legislation also amended the Texas Penal Code by increasing the conviction of burglary of a motor vehicle punishable as a state jail felony for those previously convicted two or more times of burglary of a vehicle.

For a free booklet on auto burglary and theft prevention safety tips, available in English and Spanish, call 800-CAR-WATCH or go to www.txwatchyourcar.com.