It is the Motor Insurance Repair Research Center’s job to test the effectiveness and improve car safety equipment, including alarms. The car alarms are tested using “attack tests” with various cars being broken into. The car is broken into from various different angles – through the boot, the bonnet, the side doors and the windows. There are also tests that attempt to start the car without the original keys and overcoming a lock on the steering wheel. The anti-theft equipment is then given a score to see just how well it actually works and whether improvements need to be made.
How to understand the Thatcham Categories
After testing, products are categorized based on how effective they are. Full alarm systems are placed into Cat-1 and they include alarms that are an Immobilizer and electronic alarm combined. The 2-1 Category is for Cat 2 immobilisers that have had movement detection, battery back up and a alarm siren added.
When alarms were fitted into cars, it made it more difficult for thieves to steal the car. In many cases, however, this just made the thieves even more determined. Instead of just breaking into the car, the thieves started to break into the home and steal the actual keys. Thieves now started to target the location of the car keys by breaking into owners homes. It was the high value, sportier cars that were particularly targeted. The stolen cars were often broken up. There is a thriving 2nd hand market at home and overseas for the parts. Unfortunately there was no alarm category that could deter these thieves.
Finally car tracking systems were developed which allowed police to automatically know where the car was heading once it had been reported. The tracker is activated via a support center and the route in which it is heading is shown which makes it easy to recover the car before any damage has been done.
The Importance of Proper Installation
It is essential to have your car alarm properly installed. Many alarms come with an installation certificate to make it more convenient for you. If you do not get a qualified installer to fit the alarm then the alarm will not be recognized by insurance companies. This means that you will not be able to get a discount on your insurance.
More recently Thatcham introduced a range of security ratings that showed how secure new car models were. As usual Thatcham run the cars through a rigorous range of tests to establish the security of the car but with results that are easy for the prospective car buyer to interpret. Thatcham have been at the forefront of driving up the levels of car security over the past two decades.
