Stolen cars are not an option
by Mugs Scherer
I came to Western Washington University from Stehekin, Wash., a town so small
it made Bellingham look like New York City. While I may have worried a little
about the debauchery and crime I would encounter during this move, I never
worried that my car would be stolen.
I don't own one. Never have.
Car theft in Whatcom County isn't exactly booming: According to statistics
from the Washington State Patrol Web site, the Washington State Office
of
Financial Management Web site and the FBI Web site, the rate of car thefts per
1,000 vehicles in Whatcom County is less than half that of Washington as a whole,
2.25 to 5.69.
While car theft in Bellingham is on the increase according to the
Bellingham Police Department, the department's crime statistics show only two
car thefts in the Western Washington University neighborhood for 2004.Students
obviously live and work in other neighborhoods, but still, they would appear
to have little to fear.
I have less to fear. Students moving here to attend Western should
consider selling their cars before making the move.
As well as being the best theft-deterrent possible, this strategy carries other benefits - monetary benefits. I didn't decide to never own a car because I am a crazy, Earth-loving hippie. I decided to forgo owning a car because I am a cheap, crazy, Earth-loving hippie.
The cost of buying the car would be bad enough. Then we have insurance. I would be paying $588 every six months according to www.insurance.com if I drove a 1987 Honda Prelude. My roommates pay less, so I probably could too.
That's still a lot of groceries. Then we have gas. It was $2.69 at the
Union 76 on 12th street as of this writing, according to www.gaspricewatch.com.
Then we have parking. If I still lived in the dorms, as many people who first
come to Western do, I would be paying $185.77 for the academic year
to park in lot 16CR, according to Western's Web site, and that's not
including tax.—>
Copyright © 2005 Western Washington University