Car alarms
Almost every car on the market comes with a built-in alarm system that honks the horn a lot if you open/unlock the door from the inside when the car thought it should be empty. Aftermarket systems are far worse - they’ll make their stupid array of noises if you look at them the wrong way, go near the car, generate another noise near the car, or breathe 3 miles away. And that’s assuming they’re installed properly and would never go off without provocation. (Sure.)
- What percentage of alarm triggers are a result of actual malice or theft attempts?
- When an alarm triggers nearby, does anyone actually bother to find out if there’s something bad happening?
- When an alarm triggers, how likely is the owner to hear it, recognize it as his, and take action?
- What would a person be charged with if they called the police and screamed for 60 seconds for no reason, twice a day?
- Why are car alarms legal?
When I’m president of the world, car alarms will be among the first things to go. (Mobile-phone ringtones that make sound for more than 1 second every 5 seconds, will be first.)
I’d create a new crime definition: aural assault. Why don’t we have that now?