17 Vehicles Left Running Without Driver Stolen Around Nashville in One Week

Nashville police said this week that a majority of all vehicles stolen around the city last week, between Oct. 2 to 8, were "easy targets."

According to police, a total of 54 vehicles were reported stolen in Nashville during those dates. Of those 54, 42 of them, or 78 percent, either had their keys left in the ignition or were left running while the driver walked away for a moment.

Nashville police are promoting a new awareness campaign called Park Smart, to discourage such habits.

Park Smart "strongly urges citizens to lock their automobile doors, secure any valuables and remove the keys," police said in a statement.

"Officers also urge citizens to 'Shop Smart' by not leaving purses or other valuables unattended in shopping carts or in plain view in vehicles, even for a very short time," police said. "An unattended purse or wallet is an easy target for a thief."