Getting your car stolen must be an absolute nightmare. And while most cars are eventually recovered, your car could come back trashed or even wrecked.

Luckily for those of us in Lubbock, the rate of vehicle theft is lower than average, and large parts of Lubbock see very few vehicle thefts every year. However, like most cities, some areas are worse than others.

Interestingly, Lubbock gets an overall grade of "F" for our crime grade, with a crime happening on average every 18 minutes. Most of that crime is violent or property crime, but with auto theft, we get a B+. Strange!

So What Are The Worst Areas To Leave Your Car?

According to a heat map from crimegrade.org, the worst area to leave your vehicle is between Ave. Q and Ave U and between Marsha Sharp and Glenna Goodacre.

Other trouble areas include

•  between Erskine and 19th and Ave Q and the Interstate.

•  between 40th & 50th and I27 and Ave. A

• between 50th & Slide inside the Loop

• the area out by the airport

If you can avoid leaving your car unattended, especially overnight in these areas, I recommend you do. If you have to park there, try to find a well-lit spot, or if you can, park in a garage.

According to the Texas DMV, most stolen cars were left with unlocked doors or even had the keys still inside. Remember to also never leave valuables in a car, especially handguns.

The top 4 most stolen vehicles in Texas are all trucks- Chevy, Ford, GMC, and Dodge, respectively. If you drive a big, expensive truck, you want to be extra vigilant with where you park it, as they are prime targets for thieves.