# Do you give a damn about car alarms? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 11, 2025, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188 "2025-02-11T20:32:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/1 "2025-02-11T20:32:44Z")
I know I don’t. When I hear one go off, I either don’t care (because I assume it went off mistakenly, which I guess is true most of the time), or I get annoyed (because it goes off in the middle of the night, or has a particularly nasty sound), in which case I actually hope the car is being stolen because I find the owner of the car so selfish for having a car with this stupid alarm. Either way, I won’t call the police or even look to check what’s going on. I suppose most people react similarly, which would mean car alarms are entirely useless devices. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/2 "2025-02-11T20:35:43Z")
I’ve gotten to where I consider them “the boy that cried wolf”. They false-alarm so much it seems like a waste of time to pay attention. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/3 "2025-02-11T20:37:58Z")
At this point, I actually hope the alarm is caused by an _actual_ car thief, because they will at least take the car (with its annoyingly loud noise) away. But that’s only rarely the case; most professional car thieves know how to silence the alarms. So I’m not sure who they are for. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/4 "2025-02-11T20:39:48Z")
They piss me off a lot. I don’t think they have any useful function, and just annoy people in the neighborhood. If they go on too long I will consider taking my hammer to them. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/5 "2025-02-11T20:42:15Z")
The truck I bought in 2019 came with one, and the only times it’s ever gone off are when I accidentally press the button on the remote when it’s in my pocket. And it’s a pain to get it to shut up, so I’m always embarrassed by it when it happens. But I can’t just shut it off, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/6 "2025-02-11T20:51:25Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > I’ve gotten to where I consider them “the boy that cried wolf”. They false-alarm so much it seems like a waste of time to pay attention. A while back, the alarm in the car belonging to the new owners in the basement condo was going off _all night long_. Got to the point that I yelled out a window, “Take the damn thing already!” Turned out to be an electrical problem and the owners had no idea because there is a conference room, a laundry room, a trash room, and a maintenance room between the basement unit and the parking lot. The owners apologized profusely. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/7 "2025-02-11T20:57:18Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > I’ve gotten to where I consider them “the boy that cried wolf”. They false-alarm so much it seems like a waste of time to pay attention. Very good description. I might turn to look in that direction, but unless I saw something unusual, I would not care or report. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/8 "2025-02-11T20:59:10Z")
Years ago I was biking home from work (back when I was at my old job and work was close enough to home that I could do that). I passed a parked car with the car alarm going off, and some guy messing around under the dashboard. And because I was so desensitized to car alarms, my first thought was not “That guy’s trying to steal that car.” It was “That guy’s doing some DIY repair on his car, and accidentally set off the alarm.” I assume I was correct; I don’t think a car thief would stick around with the alarm going off like that. Unless that’s what the car thief _wanted_ me to think. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/9 "2025-02-11T21:19:51Z")
How about designing one that alerts the car owner via text message or dedicated app? That way, the owner is the only one impacted. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/10 "2025-02-11T21:54:19Z")
That would lack the “discourage a thief by making lots of noise and possibly flashing lights” factor. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/11 "2025-02-11T22:18:20Z")
Has anyone studied the effectiveness of noisy car alarms in reducing stolen cars? Because I am skeptical that they matter much. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/12 "2025-02-11T23:50:41Z")
Given the reactions as displayed here (and which I share), I consider them less than useful. If people think “Maybe the thief will drive the car off and we don’t have to listen to any more.” it’s not really a win. Once in parking lot as I was going in a car was really going off. This caused the car next to it to go off. Apparently they were feeding each other as they were still going off when I came out much later. Yeah, that works. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/13 "2025-02-11T23:59:23Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Once in parking lot as I was going in a car was really going off. This caused the car next to it to go off. The dorm I lived in in college was right by a busy railroad track. Whenever a train went by it would set off a bunch car alarms in the parking lot. The trains themselves weren’t all that bad; there weren’t any grade crossings nearby so they didn’t typically blow their horns. It was all the car alarms set off by the train, which would continue for several minutes after the train passed through, that were disruptive. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/14 "2025-02-12T00:02:53Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > That would lack the “discourage a thief by making lots of noise and possibly flashing lights” factor. This is the point of car alarms. Not to alert passers by, or the owner, but to discourage the perp going through with the theft. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/15 "2025-02-12T01:31:04Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > I’ve gotten to where I consider them “the boy that cried wolf”. They false-alarm so much it seems like a waste of time to pay attention. Are we talking car alarms or medical equipment alarms such as are found in ICUs and ERs and in the general med/surg rooms? [Alarm Fatigue](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alarm_fatigue) ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/16 "2025-02-12T01:33:56Z")
Also in-home smoke detectors: Keeping us safe from burnt toast for 50 years! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/17 "2025-02-12T01:41:41Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > If people think “Maybe the thief will drive the car off and we don’t have to listen to any more.” it’s not really a win. It’s a win in the immediate circumstances. Plus from what I’ve read somewhere, actual professional car thieves actually understand how to silence the alarm. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/18 "2025-02-12T01:44:06Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > > [@Seanette](#): > > > > I’ve gotten to where I consider them “the boy that cried wolf”. They false-alarm so much it seems like a waste of time to pay attention. > > Are we talking car alarms or medical equipment alarms such as are found in ICUs and ERs and in the general med/surg rooms? > > [Alarm Fatigue](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alarm_fatigue) Not being any sort of medical professional, I was thinking of car alarms, but I can see your point about medical staff getting to where they tune out equipment alarms that are too common/constant/minor. > [@Kropotkin](#): > > Also in-home smoke detectors: Keeping us safe from burnt toast for 50 years! Also a good point here. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/19 "2025-02-12T02:31:25Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > This is the point of car alarms. Not to alert passers by, or the owner, but to discourage the perp going through with the theft. But why would it do that, when the perp knows as well as anybody else that everybody ignores car alarms except to snarl at them? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188/20 "2025-02-12T03:01:12Z")
Presumably, because they’re still a thing, that means they work at discouragement well enough. I’d be interested in seeing some stats. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-give-a-damn-about-car-alarms/1014188.md?page=2)