Thursday 04/12/2014
People like to personalise their cars, I have advised you on several occasions of items you should have in your car. Your car, like your home, was an expensive purchase and it's only natural that you would want to make minor alterations to help match your car to your needs and your personality. You might put in some new seat covers, a DVD player in the back seat for the kids to use on long trips, or even a satellite navigation unit for the driver.
Decals on the windows are common too; famous landmarks, expensive theme parks, your favourite sports team, or your favourite band. All of these are fine (as long as they aren't blocking the driver's view). My concern is the current trend of the Stick Figure Family. Yes, those funny little cartoon families that appear on the rear windows of so many people's cars.
"How can a sticker be dangerous?" you ask. The sticker itself isn't the problem; it's the information the sticker conveys. If the assembly of Stick Figures on the back window of your car accurately portrays your family unit, you are publically broadcasting a lot of valuable, personal information to criminals and other predators. You have just told everyone who has seen the back of your car how many children are in your house and how many adults are there to keep an eye on them; and your marital/relationship status.
I'm pretty sure you wouldn't walk up to complete strangers and tell them about your family situation. These cute little stickers are doing exactly that; they're telling complete strangers about your family situation.
Your vehicle also tells other people a lot about you and your financial status. A few weeks ago I saw the vehicle that inspired this week's blog; a $120'000 luxury SUV with an innocuous Stick Figure Family on the window (this is why it caught my attention, such an expensive vehicle with window decals). The stickers on the back window were of an elderly lady and four cats. The owner of this vehicle was inadvertently telling complete strangers three facts about her home life:
- She was elderly,
- She lived alone,
- She had a lot of money.
These aren't details I would be sharing with the world.
You might think I'm being overly cautions, but why draw unnecessary attention to yourself? As Benjamin Franklin once said; "An ounce of precaution is worth a pound of cure".