Last night, as I lad my head to rest I realized that I forgot to set the alarm on my SUV. After running outside to set the alarm it occurred to me that what does an alarm really do and how does it prevent theft. How effective and efficient is an alarm system, Really?

Unless you live in close proximity to a police station or are lucky enough to have a dumb criminal try to enter your vehicle when there is a policeman nearby, what purpose does a car alarm serve? Maybe that is why they are called security systems because they provide you with a sense of security. "Nobody is going to steal my car, it makes too much noise when messed with." OK and unless you are prepared to fight with the criminal who is stealing your vehicle Security systems provide a false sense of security in my opinion.

Security systems come in all types of combinations. I opted for the all in one combination. You know...the one with remote start, keyless entry and the alarm. Fancy shmancy, huh? Yeah but think about it...remember I have an SUV and gas costs are up. I can barely afford to fill my tank much less leave my car running for a matter of five minutes or more. Another thing about the remote start option is it is very alluring to criminals and kids. Same mind set maybe? I like to play with the remote start around kids because they think it's magic. I have not heard of any instance when someone's vehicle was stolen while in remote start mode and cant see how that would happen but criminals can and will figure out a way. What about those key fobs? They are computerized and I have heard of criminals adjusting the settings to enter your vehicle then away they go in a matter of minutes. No alarm was ever heard because criminals are smart they know how to override the chips in those things and poof your ride is gone. Even still what about the dealer who installed it? Is he reputable? Will he get a notion to Oh say come and steal your vehicle? Things that make you go HMMM. No but here is the most annoying thing about security systems...the sirens. They just go on and on and on. Some like mine dont know what sound they want to make: Whizz, Whizz, Buzz, Woo, Woo, Wooo, Woo. Sometimes car alarms sound the same and your neighbors car alarm may go off and they may not even know it because they think it is yours or vice versa. Can you imagine waking up out of a good sleep by this dreadful compilation of ill matched sounds? Chances are it is a stray cat or dog that set the alarm off because according to the way the sensitivity levels are set a high gust of wind or car driving past can set your car to hollering. Speaking of security levels those settings adjust themselves. For instance, when I first got my system installed as soon as you kicked the tire or tried to open a locked door thar she blowed but now you just about have to break a window to get a peep out of the little bugger. But let me tell you a funny story about sensitivity, I was on my way home after a night of partying with some friends. We were hungry so we stopped at a convenient store to get something to eat. I stayed in the car listening to music. Mind you I have a booming system in my Suburban--a theft magnet. There was a crowd of guys outside of the store so I decide that it will be much safer to set the alarm while I am in the car. Well I am jamming until I hear a car alarm. I start looking around and notice that everybody is looking at me! The bass from my speakers had set the alarm off! How embarrassed was I? Not for long because I put on a show. Since I was not driving that night, I acted as if it was not my vehicle. I jumped over to the drivers side and started searching for some type of imaginary shut off button. That was the funniest thing I have ever seen! No one was the wiser, though.

But back to the annoyance of security systems, the sound of an alarm is equivalent to those old "Pink Panther" melody horns people used to have on their cars back in the day. All noise. A good old fashioned column lock and kill switch will suffice. You can even add it to your security system and be ultra protected. Dont get me wrong I am not against security systems. They work they can just be a nuisance sometimes. Whatever you do, dont play your music loud while your alarm is on. You are sure to be embarrassed.