One third of vehicles broken into over a two year period were left unlocked.
Figures from the Garda Analysis Service released today have revealed that 8,571 vehicles parked at residential locations around the country were broken into between 2015 and 2017 and of those 2,824 were reported to be unlocked.
The stats show that the most common location for these thefts was in driveways, and that half occurred between 12 midnight and 7am.
On average, over 340 thousand euro worth of property was stolen from vehicles every year, with the most common items taken being cash, laptops, tools, sunglasses and jewellery.
Gardaí are appealing to drivers to ensure they lock their vehicle no matter where it is parked.
Don't store valuables in the car - but if you have to - keep them out of sight.
