Stickers on a family vehicle. (Taken by Tina)
A whole lot has changed over the years. The way we dress, talk, spell, express our emotions, communicate with others, even the way we cook and the list goes on. In my opinion, a common catalyst for most of this change is technology. Almost anything you can think of is available on-line. Convenient yes but dangerous too. The scariest thing is that our personal details at times are accessible on-line to anyone, especially the wrong people. Something that has sort of become a trend in South Africa is the family sticker craze, usually seen on the back glass of vehicles to express ones family to the public. There is not a day that am on the road that I don’t notice this on people’s cars.
Example of family sticker.(Source: http://www.familystickerssa.co.za)
The first time I saw this I thought “aww that’s so sentimental and cute” and I definitely wanted one too, but as I noticed how certain drivers sort of just gave away their personal information by doing this I had a different view about it, I started considering the crime rate in this country and how easy it would be for someone to know part of your life entirely (or maybe I watch too crime shows and movies). Someone will know you are a single mother, have two kids, one is a toddler and the other is still a baby, you have two pets a cat and dog, and just guess along those lines what kind of life you lead. Certain families actually include all their names and surname. What would stop these criminals that follow certain cars that have a routine they follow and attack you when you least expect it, simply because you added what seemed a ‘sentimental’ gesture to your vehicle. At first glance we don’t really realize how harmful these decals are but it’s enough to give out all the information some ‘danger to society’ may need to make plans to pounce on you. One could argue and say that they are harmless, and they really are. Great idea by whoever came up with it BUT its best to be cautious with our surroundings at all times. If you are going to have these stickers put on your car at least leave out your family’s names. The same way we purchase these adorable stickers on-line is the same way that someone might easily hop onto the net to get information about you or your family (am just saying).For those that still haven’t seen these stickers here’s a link and a read on “Why family decals make crime easy for child abductors” on this link