DES MOINES, Iowa — With the Des Moines metro area has averaged more than 100 stolen vehicles per month this year, authorities are warning too many drivers make it easy for thieves to steal even more vehicles. Law enforcement departments, including the Iowa State Patrol, Des Moines Police, West Des Moines Police, Ankeny Police and the Polk County Sheriff, report 765 stolen vehicles from the beginning of the year. Another 796 vehicles were burglarized.An officials with the Iowa State Patrol, Lt. Nathan Ludwig, tells KCCI, that with the State Fair beginning on Thursday, drivers should remember to lock their car, and not to leave valuables in plain sight. Police say drivers have given thieves a happy hunting ground by leaving unattended vehicles running in parking lots with air conditioners on when it’s extremely hot and while they run into a convenience store, or simply leaving the keys in an unlocked vehicle while it’s unattended. Ludwig told KCCI, people are “Just getting lazy.”

Another common misconception, according to investigators, is that push-to-start vehicles left running cannot be stolen if a key fob is away. That is not the case. The most common targets in Central Iowa include Ford, Chevy and Dodge trucks.