Study Finds Vehicles Left In Well-Lit Areas Are Burglarized More Often

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Since the birth of organized law enforcement, police have been touting the effectiveness of lights as a crime deterrent.

But it turns out they’ve been wrong the whole time. Researchers in the U.K. have found that vehicles parked overnight in well-lit areas are burglarized or stolen more than twice as much as cars left on dark streets.

Dr. Phil Edwards, the study’s lead author, says the reason for the phenomenon is clear: Thieves don’t steal what they can’t see. “It is to do with opportunist theft,” Edwards says. “Without lighting, it’s harder to see the laptop left overnight by accident on the passenger seat, for example.”