A wonderful editorial was printed in today's NY Times. The piece outlined efforts / rationale for NYC to ban car alarms.
- Article: All That Noise for Nothing (NY Times)
I have never seen the value of the car alarm. I think the editorial is not far off, when it explains:
"City dwellers quickly learn to disregard these cars crying wolf; a recent national survey by the Progressive Insurance Company found that fewer than 1 percent of respondents would call the police upon hearing an alarm."
For some time, I found the sound patterns of car alarms to be comforting (after memorizing the cycles of alarm suonds, one can hum along). However, it's hard to argue taht car alarms are not a general nuisance. And I have never figured out why car alarm owners should get a reduction in the car insurance….
As the editorial explained, "Car alarms work about as well as fuzzy dice at deterring theft, while irritating entire neighborhoods."
Cities should be loud for all the right reasons (e.g. people out having a good time, a bus roaring by to take people to work, music in restaurants and bars, etc.) - not because someone's bumper has been tapped by a parallel parker.
Photo (source) courtesy of visual.resistance, including story behind the note on this car's
Filed under Sound, Governance, Comtemporary Culture with 1 Comment
|One Response to “Does the Car Alarm Have Any Societal Value?”
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April 29th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
A Car Alarm System can also provide you lots of other convenient feaures like remote start or smart owner detection. Smart owner detection will sense your remote as you approach the car and automatically unlock the doors and disable the alarm so you don"t have to push any buttons. Today''s Car Alarm System has truly become a must have convenience for all shopers.