Should Car Alarms be Banned
In many cities, car alarms are thought to be a necessity.
Because many people, especially those in apartments, don't have
access to a garage, cars must be parked on the street overnight.
Unfortunately this also makes them targets for car thieves.
That's where car alarms come in to play. With their loud sirens
and flashing lights, they're supposed to make excellent
deterrents. There's just one problem....they drive people crazy.
Since most of them seem to have a hair trigger, they're set off
if the slightest bit of movement is detected. This doesn't sit
well with the neighbors, many of whom wake up several times a
night because of noisy car alarms.
It's not that anyone wants to encourage car theft, but a sane
person can only take so much. It's estimated that ninety percent
of all car alarm activations are not due to theft at all. In
2001, eighty three percent of the complaints to New York City
Police Department's Quality of Life Hotline were in regard to
car alarms. In fact, ninety one percent of New Yorkers surveyed
believed that noises due to car alarms diminished their quality
of life. These days, car alarms go off so often that people
don't even go to their windows anymore to check.
Since newer vehicles are equipped with immobilization devices,
there's really no need to install a car alarm. Especially since
no one takes them seriously anymore. In fact, car alarms are
used more often to locate one's car in a crowded mall parking
lot than to deter a potential thief. According to a report by
Transportation Alternatives, car alarms do so little to prevent
theft that many insurance companies are no longer offering a
discount to those who install these devices. Studies have also
shown that repeated exposure to noise pollution caused by car
alarms decreases worker productivity causes property values to
do down and diminishes a child's scholastic aptitude.
If car alarms don't work and only serve as an annoyance, it
stands to reason that they shouldn't be necessary and in fact,
shouldn't be allowed. If you feel they're a nuisance and would
like to do something about them, contact your police department
and inquire as to where you should register your complaint. If
enough people take a stand against car alarms, they may succeed
in silencing them for good.