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I was having a discussion the other day with a young couple who informed me they never use their alarm. They said it was in their home when they bought it and found it too troublesome to arm and disarm.

I was then advised they quite often unintentionally leave windows and doors open because of their hurried lifestyle. What bothered me the most about this couple was their acceptance of the dangers that could lie ahead.

Let's face it, we live in an accelerated world where dashing off in a hurry has become common place. A world which reflects the definition of time as being," A period long enough for something to be done".

A time dominated life can have some unhealthy effects, especially when we neglect our largest investments. Rushing off in a hurry and forgetting to lock the windows and doors in your home could cost you.

Spending money on alarm systems and monitoring is an excellent idea as long as you take the time to arm the system when needed. If your life is too busy to take a few moments to secure your home, remember those few seconds are all a burglar needs to execute a break-in.

The same principles apply to your vehicle. Your vehicle may have an immobilizer, but if you have a steering wheel lock, use it! Layered security is a huge deterrent, the more obstacles a burglar has to penetrate the better chance you have of finding your vehicle where you left it.

Take a few moments and lock your vehicle insurance and registration papers in your trunk , instead of the glove compartment. Again it only takes a few seconds and won't allow the bad guys to source out your name and address.

If you don't take the time to reinforce your home or vehicle security, someone will take advantage of your shortcomings. You probably have heard the story about the guy who always arms his home alarm, and the one time when he didn't , his home got broken into.

Or the person who always takes their car keys with them, but the one time they left their keys in the ignition, somebody helped themselves to the car. How about the person who always locks their outside shed but again the one time they forgot somebody pilfered their ride-on lawnmower.

The truth of the matter is most of these people constantly forget to arm or engage security on their home or vehicle. Complacency comes at a high cost when your playing Russian Roulette with thieves.

So before you leave home, take the time to walk through your home checking for unlocked doors and windows and make sure you arm your security system. If you own a vehicle, allow yourself enough time to engage your steering wheel lock as well as the immobilizer.

Don't let a burglar take advantage of your hurried lifestyle by putting precious time in his or her hands. Just remember even in the least possible situation a break-in may not be likely but I can guarantee you, it certainly is possible.

Frank Fourchalk is widely recognized for his sustained commitment to education in Home and Business security throughout North America as a result of his syndicated newspaper columns. Mr. Fourchalk has written for The Toronto Star, The Vancouver Province, and several other daily newspapsers including the New York Post. For more information on your home security check out http://www.yourhomesecurity.ca