Car alarms: your usual reaction?
 

I was talking to my new neighbour the other day and she couldn't believe that people today won't respond to a car alarm going off, will just assume it's gone off by accident. I had to admit, I'm the same: if I hear one I tend to just get annoyed, not investigate or check.

It seems to me that in general, car alarms no longer fulfill the function for which they were designed. Everyone is so pissed off now when one goes off that I'd be willing to bet a large percentage of people do one of two things when they hear one: a) assuming they own a car and are in its vicinity, flash the beeper out the window to make it stop or b) ignore it altogether.

I know when I hear one my immediate reaction is not "Oh someone may be stealing my neighbour's car!" but "Oh no! That's gonna keep me awake/wake up my sister!" I don't think, to my shame I agree, about the possibility of someone losing their car, I only think of my own discomfort.

So if this is the way most of us react, then what is the real point of a car alarm? It's supposed to alert you, or others, to the fact that your car is being taken, but if it gets ignored and everyone assumes it's just another misfire, what's the use?

Wonder if anyone else feels the same way, particularly those of you without cars?

I'm the same way as you. In high school we had to sell a fake product for econ, and my group made a car alarm that was a woman screaming like she was getting attacked. I figured more people would respond to that than the standard.

Car alarms go off so often in my neighborhood that it never even occurs to me that someone might be breaking into the car.

No one worries about a crime taking place. I worry that it's going to bother me for a long time. But if I were breaking into a car and it started blaring I would get away fast. I think they probably work. Back in the 90's they were going off non-stop. Now I don't hear them that often. Half the time it's mine because I butt dialed the the beeper button on my key chain. I have two vehicles and stopped carrying that door opener clicker thing because when I would sit down the alarm button would get pushed honk honk honk where is that damn thing honk honk honk ok I'm pushing the freaking button honk honk honk. Even with my own car I immediately assume it's my own stupidity because it's never been anything else.

There are ones that go off around here almost all the time. It gets to a point where you kind of block them out, fail to hear them anymore so that when they do eventually stop you really notice the silence. I often wonder if the people who own them are asleep or out of the house, as how could you leave your alarm going off for maybe 15 - 30 minutes, sometimes even an hour? Obviously, if someone is stealing the car then it's gone, as the sound would diminish as they drove away, so these cars are not being stolen, and yet they are apparently owned by people who either don't hear, don't care or think they're someone else's car and don't check. Can be really annoying.

******* your dbl parked and your alarm is ruining my sleep.

I usually just stop trying to steal the car. I get arrested a lot less that way.

I couldn't hear my car alarm even if i wanted to cause i live in a condo now but i do think they still serve the basic function of startling the car thief.

At least here ppl don't usually ignore their car alarms cause we understand those alarms are loud and f*ckin annoying so car owners quickly shut them off.

I still remember the car alarms that talked and said stuff like:

"This is an owned vehicle back away from the car"

whatever happened to those alarms? we shoulda made them more sassy to say sh*t like:

"Back away from the car or i'll blow it up."

I like the one in the Simpsons I think it is where the car yells "Get away from me! Someone help! I'm being stolen!" That would be so cool.

"Self destruct sequence initiated. Please vacate the immediate area."

I think they're still around but they're not that popular.

Ignore.

i could be wrong but arent car alarms more to scare off potential car thieves rather than to notify regular joes to turn them into vigilantes? if i hear someone stealing my neighbors car am i really supposed to jump out of bed and fight someone?

No. You open up your window and shoot the ****er. Oh you don't have a gun? Well you're basically just inviting people to come rob and harm you. It's in the 2nd amendment.

Pretty much this. If you see someone driving a car where the alarm is blaring away, then there's a good chance that person just stole that car. Get the plate # and call the Polizei.

I guess the idea used to be that, if someone leaned out of their window and shouted "Ho! You there! What are you at, my fine fellow? Desist immediately or I shall be constrained to inform the local constabulary!" (or words to that effect) it might dissuade him from robbing the car. Of course, as you say now, and rightly, you're more likely to get beaten up, shot, knifed, or, possibly, beaten up, knifed and shot.

"Someone stole your batt'ry. I say we get the muthafucka."

There was one in the neighborhood I lived in in the mid 90s that said, "Someone's trying to get in on my ride!"