Take basic precautions during summer travel

Home Safety Council offers options to increase security

According to criminal experts, the greatest number of home burglaries occur during the late summer months, when many families travel, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program.

To ensure that homeowners return to safe and secure homes, the Home Safety Council offers simple steps families should take to increase the security of their homes.

"Invest a little time to check the security of the inside and outside of your home, before vacations," said Meri-K Appy, president of the Home Safety Council. "Look at your home the way a burglar or thief would and make security improvements before you leave town."

The Home Safety Council recommends the following to prevent break-ins:

Check all doors and door frames. Outside doors should be hinged from the inside. If you have sliding doors, place a bar in the inside track.

Check to make sure all door and window locks are working. Replace any broken locks.

Buy light timers and set them to come on in different rooms at different times while the home is unoccupied.

Shine security lights on key parts of the home and replace burned out or dim light bulbs.

Place a blind or curtain over all windows so that no one can look inside the home or garage.

Do yard work before leaving. Trim limbs and keep hedges neat so they can't be used by thieves for cover.

Remove extra keys that are hidden outside. Give a spare house key to a close friend or family member. Ask them to keep an eye on the inside and outside of your home while the house is empty.

Ask a friend or neighbor to park in the driveway and take out the trash.

Stop newspaper and mail deliveries for the duration of the trip.

Consider buying a fire-proof home safe for important papers, jewelry, etc., or keep these items in a bank safe deposit box until returning.

Never leave an answering machine message that refers to family travel.

Give travel and contact information to a friend or family member in case there is an emergency.

The Home Safety Council is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the prevention of injuries in the home.

The organization works to educate families and empower them to take actions that will keep them safe in and around their homes.

The Home Safety Council's Web site is at www.homesafetycouncil.org.