Alarming car research

It’s never nice having something stolen from you, and it’s even less pleasant having something stolen from you and having your car window smashed in the process.

With the Easter and Spring holidays just round the corner, a large UK vehicle insurer is warning motorists to take extra care of their cars since statistics show that there is often as much as a 10% increase in car crime at these times.

However, research has proven that installing an alarm in your vehicle may not be enough to save it, or its contents, from the hands of opportunist thieves.

In a social experiment, which involved setting off car alarms in busy areas of London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester, it has become clear that car alarms “have become like urban white noise – as commonplace as dogs barking, sirens and everyday traffic”.

Out of all the pedestrians who walked passed the wailing vehicles used in the study, only 17% acknowledged the alarm with a brief glance, and 83% completely failed to register the noise at all.

So, to avoid your car, or the belongings within it, getting stolen – it seems as if an alarm just isn’t enough.

To reduce the risk of automobile theft, don’t park in a quiet or poorly lit area, hide all your possessions so that your car doesn’t look so enticing, and perhaps invest in a wheel lock.

And now, with the lecture out of the way, you can enjoy the warm sunny (fingers crossed) holidays.

Labels: car, car alarm, insurer, stolen, vehicle, wheel lock