How Effective Are Car Alarm Systems?

When it comes to car security devices, the alarm system must be the cheapest and the easiest one to install on any vehicle. The purpose of this system is quite simple – it is programmed to go off and produce a high-pitched sound every time somebody tries to open the car, or even go near it for that matter, without turning the alarm off first. So if the alarm is switched on and you tried to open it, the alarm would go off. This is designed to discourage thieves to go near your car and steal it. However, how effective these devices really are? And do they really work as designed?

When car alarm systems are first released in the market, a lot of car owners begin installing them in their vehicles. But as time goes by, people are starting to hate them. For one thing, these devices disrupt the peace and quiet of a residential community big time.

Because almost everybody has car alarms in their vehicles, noise complaints are being filed left and right. Most people who will go in a vacation tend to leave the alarm of their cars on. And so whenever a cat or a dog goes near it, the sound would go off and they are two hundred miles away to turn it off. That’s only one instance wherein car alarms can be such an inconvenience.

On an estimate, false alarms occur 95% of the time. This means that the chance that you’ll catch a criminal with the system is only 5%. That’s a small percentage, compared to the inconvenience of 125 decibels worth of high pitched siren ringing in your ears. These alarms are so loud you can hear the sound outside your window. Just imagine car alarms waking you up in the middle of the night for nothing.

Now if 95% of car alarms are false alarms, why should anybody be concerned with it whenever they go off? Surely, a passing motorist would shrug off the sound thinking that the alarm isn’t what it really means. On a recent survey conducted, only 1% of all people who hear alarms going off actually call the police. An astounding 99% percent ignores them. With this fact, how can you be sure that car alarms still work?

So if you are considering a security system for your car, be sure to look for other options rather than a car alarm system. Car alarm systems cost anywhere from $100 to $1,000. You are going to save so much if you opt for a more effective system than this one.

But of course, if this is the only one that you can afford at the moment, you have to be sure that you send your car to a trustworthy shop to have the system installed. Some unscrupulous individuals can do a minor change in the system that would create a backdoor to it and leave your car vulnerable. You think that your car is secured. But all along, you have just sent your car to the thief without your knowledge.