More people in Brooklyn complain about car alarms than in any other borough despite the fact it has only half as many cars as Queens.
Last year, there were 568 Brooklyn complaints to the 311 help line out of 1,865 citywide, according to the Mayor’s Office.
The state Department of Motor Vehicles says there are 638,948 registered cars in Queens – and just 363,340 in Brooklyn.
“Brooklynites are never shy, care deeply about their communities and largely live in densely populated areas, so it’s no surprise that we speak up about car-alarm problems,” said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.
Paul White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, agrees.
“There is growing public awareness that car alarms don’t work – that is a reason why more people feel empowered to call 311,” White said. “People hear them blaring and they just walk on by.
“They’re not effective and they’re irksome.”
And no borough knows that more than Brooklyn. Last year, 5,849 cars were stolen in Brooklyn, more than in any other borough.
Last year, the City Council took action and banned the installation of car alarms that are activated by motion sensors and that don’t automatically shut off after three minutes.
The bill was passed over the veto of Mayor Bloomberg, who argued that the ban was too difficult to enforce and that drivers would just go to other cities to have their car alarms installed.
The penalty for installing an illegal alarm ranges from $500 to $5,000, but officials say the city still needs to do more.
“I welcome a creative solution to this nuisance that balances the protection of property with enforcement that produces the sweet sound of silence,” Markowitz said.