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Should Car Alarms be Outlawed?

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by airportkid, Sep 2, 2010.

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Should Car Alarms be Outlawed?

  1. Yes.

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  2. Yes, and hurry up.

    2 vote(s)
    15.4%

  3. They're still legal? How did that happen?

    2 vote(s)
    15.4%

  4. No.

    9 vote(s)
    69.2%
  1. airportkid

    airportkid Will Fly For Food

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    The Dept. of Works is jackhammering the street apart just outside my door and, now don't laugh, its racket is continuously triggering a parked car's alarm and that alarm is driving me crazier than the jackhammer's din. Not that I'm enjoying the jackhammer, but I especially detest car alarms and if I were czar I'd outlaw the abominations and lock their inventors for the rest of their lives inside an enclosed echo chamber with their entire production run of alarms active at full volume. If I weren't such a nice guy I'd tell you how I really feel about the damned things.

    An urban environment where I live is one of ceaseless din: traffic, police helicopters, pedestrians yelling into their cellphones, sirens of emergency vehicles, dogs barking, birds chirping, insects buzzing, weeds growing - and car alarms. I can put up with almost any noise, even weeds growing, if it's there for a purpose.

    Car alarms have no purpose. None. OK, they do have a purpose, they provide a living to the people who make, sell and install them. But that purpose they can achieve without having to actually go off. It's the fact that they go off that is so aggravating.

    If the industry could be persuaded to make car alarms such that nothing could set them off, we'd be one step closer to having a society attractive enough to live in. But I fear the industry would complain that such a specification would injure their advertising campaigns in that they wouldn't be able to claim theirs is louder or more grating or more irritating than a competitior's.

    So that leaves the law as the only outlet for relief.

    Hence this poll, should an implement of the devil obviously devised exclusively for the torture of unoffending residents be outlawed at last?
     
    #1 airportkid, Sep 2, 2010
    2 people like this.
  2. eagle33199

    eagle33199 Platinum Member

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    I agree... they seem to be pointless anymore. Sure, back when they first came out they were great - the alarm would go off, and attract attention of anyone in hearing distance... Thus causing the thief to run away. These days though... No one pays them any attention. Odds are, if you go to the mall, you'll hear a car alarm going off on your way in or out. Do you pay attention? Run over? No. you just shake your head and keep going. Car alarms have lost their usefulness.

    If there weren't so many false positives with them, I'd say let them be silent and call the police from a hidden, GPS enabled cell phone. That can get them to within a few yards of the car easily enough. But the way those things are, the alarm will go off for no good reason (maybe at a construction site, maybe from some kid letting his bag bounce lightly off the car while trying to switch isles, who knows) and the police will be even more stressed than ever.

    The companies need to focus on false positives. Loud noises trigger the sensor designed to detect broken glass. Is that really useful? How about detecting if the door is opened before unlocking the door with a key? Or detecting if the radio is disconnected from the car without having the key in the ignition? Use detection methods that don't lead to a bunch of false positives, and i'll be a useful system again.
     
    #2 eagle33199, Sep 2, 2010
  3. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Either that or a walk in the park. Maybe with some headphones. :)
     
    #3 hyo silver, Sep 2, 2010
  4. kenoarto

    kenoarto Senior Member

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    Yes. It's past time to phase out all car alarms.
     
    #4 kenoarto, Sep 2, 2010
  5. TheForce

    TheForce Stop War! Lets Rave! Make Love!

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    Car alarms can be annoying but I do go out and look every time one goes off just to make sure everything is OK.

    I personally want to get this car alarm installed.

     
    #5 TheForce, Sep 2, 2010
  6. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

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    lmao!

    That would definately draw a crowd. You need really tinted windows to finish the effect...
     
    #6 2k1Toaster, Sep 2, 2010
  7. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    There should be a "NO QUESTIONS ASKED" bounty on car thieves!
    It will give jobs to the jobless, stimulate the economy, Silence will be Golden!!
    At some point we will run out of Car Thieves, and thus not have to worry about alarms!
     
    #7 KK6PD, Sep 2, 2010
  8. Jimmie84

    Jimmie84 New Member

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    This day in age, We have the technology readily available, to shut a vehicle down without making any noises.

    I have it on my 1999 S-10, If the key is not recognized, or someone tries to tamper with the ignition, It shuts the fuel pump off.

    Some vehicles won't start without a key fob like the Toyota Prius, Or the VW cars.

    I don't think the "alarms" need to be abolished. They just need a redesign.
     
    #8 Jimmie84, Sep 2, 2010
  9. amm0bob

    amm0bob Permanently Junior...

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    Short answer...

    NO.
     
    #9 amm0bob, Sep 3, 2010
  10. amm0bob

    amm0bob Permanently Junior...

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    Horse thieves and cattle rustlers... they used to hang em... car thieves... are the same damn thing.
     
    #10 amm0bob, Sep 3, 2010
  11. cproaudio

    cproaudio Speedlock Overrider

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    A reliable automotive security system protects what's relevant and ignore what's not. The relevant part is the vehicle itself. One thing that separates a good alarm system from a faulty one is it's ability to minimize false alarms. The one component that triggers false alarm is the ambient sensor. It could be shock sensor, motion sensor, glass breakage sensor, field sensor, proximity sensor and so on. These components are capable of detecting normal "ambient" and trigger false alarms. A way to remedy this is get rid of the external sensors all together. This is why true factory alarms don't include any type of ambient sensors. A reliable alarm will only be triggered if one of the 2 things happened when it's armed, door being opened (some will go off if the locks have been enforceably unlocked) or if power applied to the ignition. A reliable alarm has starter disable placement not easily accessible. Due these features, reasons, a true factory alarm is the best security system all around. I've been installing alarms for 14 years at my last job and have worked on/repaired countless types of alarms. 90% of faulty alarms are aftermarket involving poor installations and faulty sensors. The 10% involving factory alarms are triggered by poor aftermarket alarm integration.
     
    #11 cproaudio, Sep 3, 2010
  12. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    In our area, 99% of all alarms are owners accidentally setting off their own alarms. They stand there and look sheepish, without any clue of how to silence the alarm. If you want to break into a car around here, just stand there and look stupid when the alarm sounds. No one will pay any attention, other than to mutter something about stupid car alarms.

    The other 1% area touchy motion alarms going off for fireworks.

    Tom
     
    #12 qbee42, Sep 3, 2010
    1 person likes this.
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