According to a survey conducted by the National Insurance Crime Bureau, vehicle thefts are on the rise with more than 1.3 million cars, trucks, and motorcycles being stolen every year.  This has proved to be a major challenge for manufacturers of car security systems, who try to discover newer ways reducing the possibilities of theft.

Car alarms are one of the most popular and economical ways of not just protecting your car against possible theft, but also to steer clear of probable hassles that usually surfaces once theft takes place. Till a few years back, such alarms were considered expensive and exclusive, but these days, thanks to advancement in technology, various types of cost-effective alarms have entered the market

The car alarm works on a simple circuitry technology, that is, if the car door is forced open, the circuit gets closed leading to the alarm going off. More expensive and sophisticated models also make use of various sensors that are sensitive to slight vibrations or pressures. In this case, even the slightest vibration can cause the alarm to trigger off, thereby protecting the car from possible theft to a great extent. Some of the really advanced car alarms are also equipped to emit signals on their own, thus making it possible for the owner or concerned authorities to track the vehicle down easily.

 In general, vehicle alarm systems are available in two types. One is the ‘Active alarm system’ where the user needs to push the transmitter button in the system manually to arm and disarm the alarm system. The other one is the ‘Passive Alarm System’ which certainly is the more popular of the two. In this case, as soon as the ignition is turned off and the doors are closed, it automatically enters the armed mode.

Before purchasing an alarm, certain features need to be considered. In the first instance, you need to check up the Automatic Re-arm feature of the alarm so that even if the alarm has been disarmed due to some reason, it automatically re-arms after a certain time if the door is not opened.  Secondly, it should have an Air-Horn feature that sounds off a deafening alarm if the car is broken into, thus attracting attention as well as giving a panic attack to the thief. Another effective feature that is considered a must in alarm systems is the Anti-Code Grabbing, which facilitates alarm code change subsequent to arming or disarming. Carjack Protection is another attribute that you have to look for in an alarm system because, in case of theft, such a feature will shut down the engine and sound a deafening siren that will certainly attract attention. Other features to take into consideration are the Emergency Disarm switch, the Ignition kill, and a Microwave Detector which is a sensor that sounds off the alarm when some object enters the protection zone. Many of these features can be merged into one good alarm system, thereby making it a good investment.