Posts Tagged ‘alarms’

Are Personal Alarms Really Effective?

Small, easy to conceal and can cause a racket when triggered.  No wonder personal alarms are one of the top selling self-defense gadgets in the market today.  Many people, particularly seniors, women and teens, prefer them because they are lightweight and easy to carry around.  They are also unobtrusive, particularly since many personal alarms are designed to mimic ordinary everyday objects.  But when you are staking your life on such a small device, questions inevitably arise: are personal alarms effective?  And how do they work to deter crime?

How personal alarms work
Personal alarms are designed to sound a loud alarm when switched on, usually with a button.  This button is usually referred to — appropriately enough — as the panic button.  The alarm is a high-decibel sound that’s meant to warn other people that someone needs help.  It can also be used to locate someone, such as a young child or an elderly, in case they get lost or need assistance.

Personal alarms are also the preferred choice for people who can’t fight back or can’t scream loud enough.

Are personal alarms effective?
Personal alarms emit a blaring noise that will only be shut off if the user pushes a button.  The noise can register at up to about 140 dB.  That’s a lot of noise if you consider that a train whistle only registers to about 90 dB.  Use this much noise against an attacker and you will cause panic or momentary confusion, giving you enough opportunity to fight back, bring them down, run away or alert someone that you are in imminent danger.

If the user is lost and need to be found, the personal alarm can be very effective in calling someone’s attention.  It’s also an excellent device to use to warn or alert other people during any kind of emergency.

Personal alarms can be very effective self-defense tools but they too, have their limitations and it’s important for users to recognize this so they know what to expect and are better prepared for certain situations when a personal alarm may not always work to their advantage.

While quite effective in deterring crime or a possible attack and in helping locate a lost loved one, the personal alarm may not always suffice in certain situations, such as when:

- The user is in an isolated area where no one else can hear the alarm and no one can come to the rescue.
- An assailant may forcibly take the alarm and turn it off, thereby rendering it useless.
- The alarm runs out of power.  This device needs fresh batteries in order to work.  In case the batteries die out when they’re needed most, the alarm will not be of any help.

In spite of its disadvantages, the personal alarm still has its own set of benefits.  The user simply has to understand what it can and cannot do so as to be able to maximize its use.