You might think that your kids are safe in their home. We would all like to believe this to be true.
Or, you might even think that your kids are safe when they’re close by to your home. Either when they’re walking home from school or perhaps just playing in the street with the neighborhood kids.
But is this true? If you look at the statistics on crime, you might find that the picture isn’t quite as rosy as you’d think. Let’s look at some of the most important stats that you should be aware of as a parent hoping to protect your kids in your home.
2.5%
That statistic is the percentage chance of a crime occurring in your home this year. Now, you might say, hey that’s pretty good. After all, it’s a damn sight better than flipping a coin. However, that means that out of 100,000 homes 2487 will experience a property crime.
The good news is that this is still considerably lower than the past twenty years. In the 90’s the level of crime was double that so it is improving. Still, if you don’t think that’s a high percentage, let’s look at this way. Do you play the lottery? If you do, you have a one in 175 million chance of winning. So, it could be argued that your home is thousands of times more likely to be broken into when compared to you winning the lottery.
There is good news though. Violent crimes have declined dramatically in the USA. So, if someone does break into your home, there is a good chance that they are probably just after that flashy TV that is in your front room. Are there ways to protect your home?
Yes and we’ve just mentioned one. Don’t advertise your wealth or your assets. It’s a lot like kids with a sweet window. If you advertise what is inside, you will be daring criminals to take a shot and steal it. Particularly, if it’s something of extreme value like a new 4K tv.
You also want to make sure that you are locking your doors. It may sound like simple advice, but you’d be amazed how many parents leave their doors unlocked, particularly if they are in at the time. You can also think about setting up a few cameras, and this is particularly important at night. Ideally, if you have younger kids, you want to keep a check in their room. This isn’t paranoia, this is just common sense.
Imagine for a moment you are a burglar. You might have scouted out a house and figured out who sleeps on either side. Are you going to break into the window with the kid on the other side or the two grown adults? Sadly, in the eyes of a criminal, the kid’s room is the best target. With a nanny cam, you can keep an eye on the kid’s room and make sure they are safe through the night. The cheapest nanny cams are really affordable, and they can be completely inconspicuous. Even the child won’t know it’s there.
There’s another statistic need to think about as well.
11%
Ah, that one's not so friendly is it? That’s the rough rate of property victimization per one thousand houses in the USA. Now, it is important to realize that these rates are going to differ based on zip codes and even states. But even this average should give you a pause for thought and may make you consider adding some extra security to your home.
800,000
That’s roughly how many children go missing every year in the USA. Now, before you panic that is roughly about 1 percent of the child population of the USA. Still panicking? That’s understandable, breaking it down roughly 2000 children go missing in the USA every single day. You wouldn’t think it based on the news coverage, but that’s because so many actually go missing that the media can only focus on so many.
There’s also the fact that that statistic includes a number of false alarms and perhaps most crucially, the majority of these kids are taken by someone they know. Only 115 ‘stranger abduction’ cases occur each year which is probably a little reassuring.
Still, it should make you think about whether your kid really is safe playing outside in the street by themselves. It should make you question whether you do need to take more steps to provide them better protection. The good news is that these days tech is providing the answer. You can get bands that children can wear for tracking.
These are completely inconspicuous and no one looking at them would be able to tell there’s a tracker. Similar to this apps like ‘find my phone’ can be very beneficial. If you can find the phone, you can find the kid with it in their pocket. It’s not paranoia to do this. It’s about making sure that when your kids are out, you know where they are.
18,000
That’s the number of Americans that die every year in their home due to an accident. This could be falling down the stairs or even issues with the air quality. For this reason, you do need to do what you can to keep the home safe, particularly for children. It might be worth buying those safety locks on doors and windows. You might also want to think about getting a gate for the stairs if you have younger children.
Obviously, you can’t wrap up kids in cotton wool. But by making small changes to your home you can increase their level of safety. A house is supposed to be a haven, and again, that number isn’t as high as it looks. But it still shows there’s a chance that a small mishap could lead to a fatal accident on your property.
We didn’t mean to scare you with these stats, it just might be worth thinking about them a little more and taking extra precautions. Remember, no one ever regrets being overly cautious.
Leave a Reply