Why do they still make car alarms? (2015) • Hacker News Board

Re: Why do they still make car alarms? (2015)

#151

Post by nitwit005 » Tue, Jan 19, 2021, 11:07 PM UTC

anonymousiam wrote: post #112

If the author had a Ring doorbell (and looked at their crime reports), or participated on NextDoor, they would know that theft from parked cars is the number one problem in most neighborhoods. An alarm is still a good deterrent for people who do not park their cars in a garage.

Do people call the police and have the police show up if something like that happens?

Here people don't even turn their heads when an alarm goes off, and the police will show up, but far past the actual event.

Re: Why do they still make car alarms? (2015)

#152

Post by turtlegrids » Tue, Jan 19, 2021, 11:07 PM UTC

spiritplumber wrote: post #100

I have an older RV that people sometimes try to steal (it's usually meth heads wanting to live on it; I've taken to leaving a plaque on the dash saying that if they want a hot meal instead, just knock on my door). The alarm is aftermarket, and silent. All it does is make the fuel pump go in reverse. (The fuel pump is also aftermarket) It's been hilarious a couple times.

> The alarm is aftermarket, and silent. All it does is make the fuel pump go in reverse.

Would you mind disclosing what brand/model this alarm is? This would be great for a couple of “issues” I’ve been having.

If you aren’t comfortable saying publicly, could you send me a message with the info? And Amazon/Aliexpress/eBay link?

Re: Why do they still make car alarms? (2015)

#153

Post by ChrisRR » Tue, Jan 19, 2021, 11:09 PM UTC

l72 wrote: post #87

Now if we could just disable the feature that causes the horn to honk when locking the vehicle with the key fob... As someone who lives on a residential street, but with a hospital at the far end, we have tons of patients, families, doctors, and nurses that park on our street to avoid paying for the garage. I get to listen to horns honking at all hours. A few cars (Acura comes to mind), do a bit better, in that they…

I've never heard of this happening. It must not be a UK thing

Re: Why do they still make car alarms? (2015)

#154

Post by BuildTheRobots » Tue, Jan 19, 2021, 11:09 PM UTC

chrisseaton wrote: post #137

arprocter wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the UK this is disabled in the ECU, as using your horn while stationary isn't allowed

> In the UK this is disabled in the ECU, as using your horn while stationary isn't allowed Huh my car app has a 'honk' button that works when stationary, for finding it in car parks. Is that against regulation?

Technically a car park would be ok, but the regulations state:

A horn should not be sounded when stationary on a road at any time, other than at times of danger due to another vehicle on or near the road.

A horn should not be used on a moving vehicle on a restricted road (basically a road that has street lights and a 30mph limit) between the times of 11:30 pm and 7:00 am.

Re: Why do they still make car alarms? (2015)

#155

Post by betwixthewires » Tue, Jan 19, 2021, 11:09 PM UTC

There's an effect, I forget what it's called, where a deterrent is effective enough that the only time you see it activate is accidentally. I believe this may be the case for car alarms. It has a side effect of desensitization, but it is still effective. I doubt most thieves smash and grab without consideration of alarms on the grounds that probably nobody will care about the alarm.

Thieves want to steal without being noticed. The real threat of a giant siren bringing attention to them with a towel wrapped around their hand standing next to a shattered window deters a lot of opportunistic theft. It isn't quantifiable, but it is no doubt there.

Determined thieves of course will find a way, or find less secure targets. But most theft is opportunistic.

Re: Why do they still make car alarms? (2015)

#156

Post by thewebcount » Tue, Jan 19, 2021, 11:10 PM UTC

dole wrote: post #108

alkonaut wrote: post #85

Most likely thing to be stolen from my car is probably wheels, catalytic converter. Both of these require jacking up the car, shoving some bricks under it, and stripping the parts in a matter of minutes. All I need from an alarm is something that takes care of that scenario. If someone steals it the car they have - as the article says - likely done it the easiest way: they walked in my unlocked front door and took my…

Definitely one reason is this. I was surprised to hear about the catalytic converters recently, the amount of palladium in them is worth the risk. SUVs and trucks targeted because of higher clearance, Hondas and certain manufacturers have more in them than others. Battery-operated reciprocating saw (Sawzall), easy and fast enough to do it while you're in the grocery store.

My next door neighbor's catalytic converter was in the process of being stolen when the neighbor on their other side came home a few weeks ago. Luckily that scared off the would-be thieves. Needless to say, he parks his truck inside their gate now.

Re: Why do they still make car alarms? (2015)

#157

Post by anonymousiam » Tue, Jan 19, 2021, 11:10 PM UTC

chrisseaton wrote: post #134

anonymousiam wrote: post #112

If the author had a Ring doorbell (and looked at their crime reports), or participated on NextDoor, they would know that theft from parked cars is the number one problem in most neighborhoods. An alarm is still a good deterrent for people who do not park their cars in a garage.

I don't get what people are stealing from parked cars? You can't remove radios anymore. What are they taking? Surely nobody's leaving a laptop or a purse in a car?

In my neighborhood, I've seen multiple reports of guns being stolen from vehicles. Anything of value should be hidden, such as dash cams, radar detectors, coins for parking meters, etc. People post videos all the time of hoodlums looking into car windows deciding whether or not it's worthwhile to break in.

Re: Why do they still make car alarms? (2015)

#158

Post by 98codes » Tue, Jan 19, 2021, 11:10 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #122

hedora wrote: post #4

I really wish there was a way to disable the panic button on my key fob. It has a hair trigger and only requires one click to activate. I regularly trigger it by bending over with my keys in my pocket.

I sometimes wonder about the ratio of assaults, etc. the panic button has ever curtailed to the number of loud horn blares that have awoken people, distracted people to the point where they've had an accident, etc.

It's definitely a "find your car in the giant lot" button if you ask me

Re: Why do they still make car alarms? (2015)

#159

Post by jeffbee » Tue, Jan 19, 2021, 11:11 PM UTC

anonymousiam wrote: post #112

If the author had a Ring doorbell (and looked at their crime reports), or participated on NextDoor, they would know that theft from parked cars is the number one problem in most neighborhoods. An alarm is still a good deterrent for people who do not park their cars in a garage.

I am amused that you think a realistic understanding of crime statistics can be formed by reading NextDoor.

Re: Why do they still make car alarms? (2015)

#160

Post by throwaway0a5e » Tue, Jan 19, 2021, 11:11 PM UTC

anonymousiam wrote: post #112

If the author had a Ring doorbell (and looked at their crime reports), or participated on NextDoor, they would know that theft from parked cars is the number one problem in most neighborhoods. An alarm is still a good deterrent for people who do not park their cars in a garage.

Petty crime has some pretty big regional variations. Statistics from SV don't apply well to some random suburb of Buffalo.