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Many drivers choose to personalize their cars with a bumper sticker or window decal. If the sticker just shows a silly phrase or a funny quip, it's no big deal, but police are warning that there are some stickers that could be putting the driver and their family in significant danger.
The riskiest decal is the one seen on thousands of rear windows across the country, showing a stick figure version of all the members of the car owner's family. Sometimes the decals portray the activities everyone is into and sometimes they even show everyone's name. On occasion, there is also a bumper sticker revealing the school their child goes to - perhaps out of school pride or to boast that their kid is on the honor roll there. The problem with all of that is it gives criminals loads of information to use in nefarious ways.
Photo: OhioSAR.org
Children are taught about stranger danger, but they might think someone isn't a stranger if they know their name. Sites where the stickers can be purchased often warn against putting names under the figures on the decal, but many people ignore it.
For those reasons, police urge car owners not to put up stickers that give away personal information. They also suggest removing any parking passes that might hang from a rearview mirror when the car isn't parked in the lot it's required for. Additionally, they warn about putting a child's name on their backpacks or clothing for the same reasons.