OPP out with safety tips for cottage-goers

With the great summer weather comes endless trips to the cottage.

But when you lock up your house, and head away for the weekend or maybe even a week, have you really done all you can to make sure your house is safe?

OPP say there are a number of things we can do before going to the cottage.

“When you leave your primary residence, again, leave a radio on, have someone look after the property, pick up the mail, pick up newspapers. You want to give that house the look that it is being lived in. Set some lights up with some timers, and in some cases, people have even invested in alarm systems for their home,” explains OPP Sergeant Peter Leon.

He also adds that while we live in the world of posting everything on social media, it’s not always the smartest idea to post that you’re going away.

“If you’re going to tell everybody that you’re at your cottage, and post it on social media platforms that do exist, that’s probably no different than putting a sign up at the bottom of your driveway saying ‘I’ve gone to my cottage for a week, help yourself.'”

If you’re still unsure of leaving your house empty, Sergeant Leon says it’s also a great idea to ask your neighbours to park their car in your driveway.

“It makes it look like somebody’s there, that it is being lived in. An individual that is driving by is going to see a car in the driveway, and they’ll think twice about possibly entering that driveway.”

While you’re making the drive to the cottage, don’t forget you can tune into 570 News for Traffic and Weather together on the one’s, or follow us online @570News and @570Traffic.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today