Some people do not know there are lots of cars anti theft systems, or they know some things that help secure their vehicles but do not know they are also termed anti theft vehicles. Cars are expensive, or at least, you will have to spend quite a lot of money to acquire one. So this is not something you will leave to chance without protecting with an anti-theft device. So is a car alarm an anti-theft device? This post is designed to answer that question and look at the car alarm system as a good anti-theft device.
A car alarm in a very reliable form of anti-theft device you can install in your car. Car theft is a real thing in the world we live in, and car owners try their possible best to avoid this. And one of the ways to stop this is by installing an anti-theft device that will help to prevent suspicious activity in and around your car. The overall goal is to protect the car by raising alarm to create awareness if it is being broken into or theirs an attempt of such.
Anti-theft systems can come as custom fitted in the vehicle by the manufacturer or the car user can buy an aftermarket product and install it in the vehicle. Next up, we want to consider the benefits or advantages of having a car alarm in your car as an anti-theft device.
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ADVANTAGES OF CAR ALARM AS ANTI-THEFT DEVICE
These are lots of benefits of having an alarm in your car. Find below are some of the basic reason why you need one.
Prevents car theft
If you have a car alarm as anti-theft, this automatically discourages thieves from attempting a hijack on your car. They know you are not an easy target, so they will move on quickly to other soft targets.
Picture this: hypothetically speaking, if you were a car thief and had two options, to steal from a car that has an alarm system and to steal from another that has no such anti-theft system, which one will you go for? my point exactly.
Stops car theft
Having a car alarm does not only prevent theft, it could also actually stop it. If thieves try to steal a car and the alarm system goes off unexpectedly, it sends them into panic mode, and they do not know what to do, howbeit monetarily.
That time lag where the thieves are caught unprepared, security agents or law enforcement can catch them and get them arrested. Therefore, car alarm systems give that extra time that law enforcement officers can act on when car thieves are thrown off balance.
Insurance discount
When you have an anti-theft system like a car alarm, we recommend you let your insurance company know. This can afford you some discount when renewing your documents or trying to get a new one with the company.
If you have the alarm system already preinstalled in the vehicle, you need to be smart enough to contact the insurance company through a call or sending an email, as this package might not be available in their online renewal or purchase form.
Claim settlements easily
Now apart from getting a discount, you can actually claim your settlements pretty easily from the insurance company in the event of theft or accidents on the vehicle. This is because you have already taken steps to secure your car. So if it still gets stolen, then chances are that it was not your fault. This might make the insurance company consider the fact that you tried your best, and then hand over your claims to you seamlessly.
Avoid inconvenience
To be honest, there are lots of issues if you lose your car. The trauma, the inconvenience, informing law enforcement, telling family friends and colleagues. This thing is not easy. It even reminds you of the event and that’s even more tragic.
However, all of these can be avoided by simply installing a car alarm system. There isn’t anything like spending too much to safe guard our lives and properties.
Financial security
Lest face it: if you lose you lose. And there’s no getting back what has been lost. And even if you get something back, it won’t be the thing you lost. The highest you will get is a compensation. As related to car theft, what the insurance company will give you is just a compensation and not the full cost of your car if it gets stolen. Just avoid all of these financial loss by installing an anti theft system in your car.
DISADVANTAGES OF CAR ALARM AS ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM
Sadly, whatever has an advantage also has a disadvantage. And this goes for anti-theft alarm systems like car alarm. The following are some of the reasons why a car alarm can be a disadvantage to the car and its owner.
- If the car alarm is parked in a place where the alarm cannot be heard, say like an industrial area or a very busy and noisy location, the alarm system might not be audible enough to be heard by someone or anyone who could help prevent the theft.
- We are humans and we sometimes forget stuff. Your car alarm will only work when you remember to turn it on. If you forget to lock your car also, this might in turn fail to activate your alarm system. This is so because most of our alarm systems only come on when the car is locked. Is this fails to happen, there’s only so much the anti theft device can do.
- The truth is that car alarms can only raise and alarm when there is an attempt to steal the car. They just put out a signal and might not necessarily stop the thief.
We are putting this out there because people have become over reliant on their alarm system and think that once the alarm is installed, it has automatically answered all their prayers.
This is not so, as you the car owner might need to act fast to stop the theft from happening – in spite of your anti theft alarm system.
OTHER TYPES OF ANTITHEFT ALARM
Apart from the alarm system, there are other ways you install an anti-theft device in your car. Remember it is anti-theft – anything that prevents theft. So here are some devices that carries this out in your car apart from an alarm system.
Steering wheel lock
Even if the thief bypasses the lock and alarm system, how do you even drive away with a car when you cannot control the steering? The steering wheel lock is a device that helps lock the steering physically. So if an unauthorized user turns the steering, say to the right, and the lock is not removed, he cannot stir to the left. That’s a conundrum for the thief.
Dash cam
If you think your house is the only place where you can install a camera in, then you are very wrong. Well, if your car is as valuable, then you will install a camera also to avoid theft.
These devices can even record videos of the surrounding of the car, apart from giving you a display. You will get picture evidence in the event of theft that can come in handy in court, as no thief will be comfortable getting caught on camera.
GPS tracker
In the event of car theft, it could take a very long time to recover it – that’s if it is ever recovered in the first place. But with a car tracker in the car, even if the car is stolen, you can be able to track the movement of the car unknowingly to the thief.
You can now alert law enforcement so they can apprehend the criminal. This is one of the best forms of anti theft car devices.
Conclusion
The pros of having an alarm as an anti-theft system in your car outweighs the cons by far. However, you can add other anti-theft devices for consolidation.
