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Why do they still make car alarms? (2015)

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

#371

Post by meekrohprocess »

betwixthewires wrote: post #155

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 bein…

Maybe you could take advantage of that by putting a blue LED on your dashboard or rear-view mirror that blinks every few seconds when the car is off.

Speaking of, I'm surprised that there aren't more prank automotive devices. What if your car's horn went off semi-randomly twice a month, with a different horn sound each time? Or your turn signals made loud clicking noises that everyone could hear? Or your Bluetooth calls also broadcasted through the car alarm speaker on Wednesdays? There's plenty of room for innovation in the car alarm space.

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

#372

Post by w0mbat »

betwixthewires wrote: post #155

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 bein…

I read an article describing how some thieves will deliberately set off the alarm and then break the window. The theory is that everybody ignores car alarms and the alarm covers up the sound of breaking glass, a sound that people do not ignore.

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

#374

Post by KLexpat »

thwarted wrote: post #367
earthboundkid wrote: post #334

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There have always been crazy people and the indolent, but there was a qualitative change in the number of urban homeless in the 1980s. It didn’t used to be like this.

Isn't this usually attributed to the Reagan administration's repeal of Mental Health Systems Act? Not that the situtation was necessarily all that great before it was repealed, but my understanding is that the federal government making this change ended up putting a lot of people on the street. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_Health_Systems_Act_of_1...

Yeah they did, we have had similar problems in Australia

The thing is, it's still a lot better than the mid-century horror stories of institutions; electrotherapy, lobotomy, people being drugged into a permanent fugue state, sexual abuse, etc. Those concerns are what drove these changes to the system.

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

#375

Post by w0mbat »

dotancohen wrote: post #248
whyenot wrote: post #237

I was getting my car serviced at a local Toyota dealership today. While I was waiting for my car, there were two Priuses that came in with stolen/hacked off catalytic converters. A Prius with a really loud "straight pipe" exhaust is awful weird. In any case, auto theft isn't about stealing the whole car, sometimes it's just hacking off the valuable bits without even breaking in. It's not a new problem. Before catalyt…

Many people weld a cage around the cats, or across them. Of course, the cage can be cut just like the cat, but it makes a 3 minute job turn into a 10 minute job, which may be riskier for the thief.

The current technology is to weld or rivet a specially shaped flat steel shield over the cat. It is more secure than an cage and actually improves the car's aero-dynamics.

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

#376

Post by meowster »

asveikau wrote: post #275
tinix wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even with an alarm... our car was stolen from our (detached) garage. If anything, the garage gave them ample cover to work in privacy, actually. Still not sure exactly how they did it... Our vehicle has physical keys, no wireless fobs or keyless entry, so it wasn't a relay/clone attack. They basically just stripped out the ignition, and busted out all the interior lights, and did something in the fuse box (probably p…

That long story and it didn't look like they got much out of it. At that point you start to wonder about the motive. Drugs? Plus not having a lot of intellegence or skill?

Probably needed a disposable car for a crime.

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

#377

Post by audiometry »

ineedasername wrote: post #261
spiritplumber wrote: post #244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It prevents the fuel pump in the engine from working (I had to add an electric fuel pump because the original one isn't doing very well). Yes on the hot meal. I've been homeless and it stinks.

It amazes me that, in wealthy countries, there are significant homelessness problems due to economic displacement. I consider it an existence-proof of the idea that a free market cannot solve all problems. I think homelessness due to other causes-- mental health for example-- are more complex but similarly demonstrate fundamental flaws in the framework of society. Only once was I able to give a homeless person a meal…

Yeah the preoccupation with “how will the person use this money” I’ve done away with. I donate money to people. If it’s a scam or they use it for “unhealthy” ends, then I consider that is on them, not me. I gave the money with good intentions. I’m not tied to the outcome.

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

#378

Post by james-skemp »

astura wrote: post #302
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.

But everyone just totally ignores car alarms, so they don't function as any sort of deterrent in practice. Thieves will still take your shit even if an alarm is going off. When was the last time you ran outside to confront a possible theft when you heard a car alarm go off?

I didn't run outside last week, but that's because we can get a good view of the circle we live on from our front window.

We've had a number of thefts in our city, especially since the pandemic started, so we've been keeping an eye open for our fellow neighbors.

(Thefts have mostly been kids, seemingly using them for temporary transportation, joy riding, and a case earlier this year of a possible ring taking nicer vehicles. One from today: https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime-and-courts/18-year-...

I believe earlier today I saw mention of them, or another stolen RAV4 going 120, likely on our beltline.)

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

#379

Post by jojobas »

audiometry wrote: post #377
ineedasername wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It amazes me that, in wealthy countries, there are significant homelessness problems due to economic displacement. I consider it an existence-proof of the idea that a free market cannot solve all problems. I think homelessness due to other causes-- mental health for example-- are more complex but similarly demonstrate fundamental flaws in the framework of society. Only once was I able to give a homeless person a meal…

Yeah the preoccupation with “how will the person use this money” I’ve done away with. I donate money to people. If it’s a scam or they use it for “unhealthy” ends, then I consider that is on them, not me. I gave the money with good intentions. I’m not tied to the outcome.

Assuming your donations are limited, a dollar given to a junkie or a scammer is a dollar not given to a hungry man.

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

#380

Post by kbutler »

ineedasername wrote: post #261
spiritplumber wrote: post #244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It prevents the fuel pump in the engine from working (I had to add an electric fuel pump because the original one isn't doing very well). Yes on the hot meal. I've been homeless and it stinks.

It amazes me that, in wealthy countries, there are significant homelessness problems due to economic displacement. I consider it an existence-proof of the idea that a free market cannot solve all problems. I think homelessness due to other causes-- mental health for example-- are more complex but similarly demonstrate fundamental flaws in the framework of society. Only once was I able to give a homeless person a meal…

I asked a panhandler what meal to order for him from the restaurant where he was begging. He ate one bite, asked me again for cash, and threw it away.

Begging on the streets is unsafe for the homeless and for the public - giving that way promotes the activity. It's generally much better to give to public service organizations that can coordinate broader care.

That said, if you feel you should give to someone, do it.

(And I don't think anyone with even introductory economics knowledge thinks free markets solve everything.)

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