"What information are you driving around?" asks a pictorial warning widely shared by U.S. police departments. The advisory, which describes the sort of information that criminals could glean from the back of your car, suggests you might be endangering yourself and your family with stickers that reveal potentially sensitive details about your life.
Thanks to your careless exuberance, the illustration warns, bad actors may know the school your kids attend and the extracurricular activities in which they participate (an indication that you will be "gone most evenings and/or weekends for practices or games"). They also may know your hobbies (which might suggest you have "expensive equipment" at home or in the car), the sort of dog you own (possibly a little, nonthreatening breed), your place of work, and your spouse's job (which might indicate frequent, prolonged absences).
By advertising your "baby on board," the advisory adds, you signal that you are "an easy target" because you will be "distracted" and encumbered when you arrive at your destination. Even your personalized license plate might be risky, because it is more easily remembered by a hothead you "unintentionally offend" or a creep who "wants to keep track of" your vehicle.
"Always protect your personal information and limit what you share," the Schertz, Texas, police department advises in a typical Facebook post. "What could seem like a harmless decal could lead to an unsafe situation." In other words, drivers should guard their privacy, meaning they should be aware of the facts their cars might be divulging.
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