US crime reports indicate that at least one car gets stolen or broken into every 20 seconds in the United States. In other part of the world, the statistics could be worse. No wonder than that many motorists have given a new level of meaning to the phrase “responsible driving.” Car ownership and use now entail equipping your vehicle with some form of a security device. One preferred mode is to install car alarm systems.

Modern car alarm systems have gone a long way from being siren traps, or placing a switch on the door which would start wailing when someone opens the door by force. Modern car alarm systems use a variety of high-tech mechanisms and set-ups to produce different kinds of alarm sounds, help signals and coded lighting messages to get attention to a vehicle in cases like forced entry, breaking glass windows and forced entry from aggressors if you are inside the vehicle.

Many car alarms today employ the so-called multi-zone sensors, where various key parts of the car like the doors, windows, ceiling, floor or dashboards are connected with the following security components: sensors (sensitive to pressure, force, dome lights opening or breaking sound), a siren, a radio receiver for wireless control,an auxiliary battery to power the car alarm system even if the battery is disconnected by the thief, and a microchip that serves as the alarm system’s brain by monitoring and detecting motions, sounds,and movements and triggering the alarms even at the slightest hint.

Car alarm systems have also helped police authorities arrest the most elusive and fastest car thieves on their list by using bait cars. These are vehicles equipped with the best car alarm systems in the most discreet manner. Police stashed them with valuables like audio and video equipment, money vault or packed bags, and leave them in car theft hot zones. Thieves lured to break open these cars are trapped and caught through alarm sirens and automatic lock features.