Do car alarms deter thieves?

Apparently not.

I have had the same thoughts as you.. they are so prevalent and so often are set off accidentally that people are likely to simply ignore the noise. I try to always look because of this, I know I’m just one person, but if I can make it more difficult or stop someone from breaking into a car, I will.

People ignore car alarms, the same way people in NYC ignore screams and gunshots in the alley below their own apartment buildings.

August 30, 2008, 9:35 PM EDT

if I’m inside my house I ignore them, but when i’m in a parking lot and I hear them I always look, just a natural reaction really, and sometimes out of curiosity to see who the dumbass is that accidently set off their own alarm…..

I do the same thing as alena. Just in case. I would want someone to if it were my car.

I ignore them, because they are ineffective in that they do not usually signal the theft of a car.

It’s easier to steal a car when it’s quiet then when there’s an alarm blaring. If you’re hot-wiring a car, your adrenaline is already pumping because you don’t know where the car owner is in relation to the car you’re stealing. If there were two cars just as nice parked next to each other, I would steal the one without the alarm.

The alarm is more important on side streets then it is downtown. I always look out the window when I hear a car alarm going off at an odd hour (not rush hour, lunch hour or morning drive). In some places alarms are preventatives and in other places they are annoyances to the thieves. I would rather annoy the thieves.

This is for me personally. I don’t understand how someone could accidentally set off their car alarm every single weekday (it happens). Those people (and the people around those people) probably aren’t as well protected against car theft because they cultivate an environment where people ignore car alarms.

This way my question when faced with the dilemma of finding some sort of anti-theft device after having my vehicles repeatedly vandalized and stolen for the second time.

The quick answer is maybe. A thief doesn’t want to attract attention, so one is inclined to believe he’d most likely attempt to break into or steal a car without an alarm than with an alarm. But like you said, most people ignore car alarms; and a resourceful thief can bypass many anti-theft devices.

Fortunately, manufacturers have stepped up their game a bit when it comes to auto alarms. I’ve learned that today’s sophisticated models are sold bundled with options that offer additional deterrents like killing the engine when attempts are made to start the can without a key, or paging the car owner via 2-way remote whenever anyone loiters around, or attempts to move or break into their vehicle. Of course, the options you get depend on what you’re willing to pay,

In fact, being able to continuously monitor the security of my car (and having the opportunity to immediately address the problem) was the deciding factor in purchasing the particular model I selected.