Insurance Discounts For Passive Alarm Systems
If you are considering equipping your car with a passive alarm system, make sure you are doing it for the right reasons ? to protect your car.
Passive Alarm Systems
With a passive alarm system, the driver doesn’t need to do anything to activate the alarm. The alarm arms itself automatically, or passively, whether the driver remembers to activate the alarm or not. Passive alarm systems are considered to be superior to non-passive alarm systems because the passive systems do not rely on human intervention.
It’s easy to understand why a passive alarm system is better. Humans are forgetful, and the busier we get, the harder it is to remember to do little tasks like setting a car alarm when get out of the car, running late, busy, and heading for a business meeting.
Non-Passive Alarm Systems
Manual alarm systems require human action before activation. If the driver doesn’t remember to set the alarm, the car remains unprotected.
Insurance Discounts
Automobile insurance companies offer greater discounts for passive alarm systems than they do for non-passive systems. However, be advised that a passive system must be truly passive. If any human intervention is required to arm the alarm, even a simple door lock, most insurance companies will not offer the passive alarm discount.
Even if you do convince your insurer to grant you a passive alarm system discount, the discount often amounts to a very small amount. Usually the discount will be calculated as a percentage of your collision insurance coverage. Don’t expect the discount to cover the cost of your alarm system.
Even though the discount is minimal, most people are still happy to get any sort of discount on their car insurance. Usually it is the other way around, with the insurance company constantly raising rates and adding unexplained extra charges, so most drivers and automobile owners enjoy getting even a small discount on their car insurance.
Theft Deterrence
Remember, a passive alarm system is just one step in a program of automobile theft deterrence. Park your car inside a parking garage whenever you can. Always arm your alarm when you leave your car. Never leave valuables inside your car. The only thing a thief should see when he or she peeks inside your car window is empty seats, empty floors, and an activated alarm system, ready to go off and summon help if the thief is bold enough to try anything. Don’t leave your car unattended for long periods of time.
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