What purpose to do car alarms serve?

Seriously, whens the last time you heard a car alarm and thought "Oh my gosh, someone's car is getting stolen!"?
Answers:
They have a purpose, for example:The average thief isn't going to spend a few minutes trying to get stereo out of your vehicle with an alarm going off.

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Well, it certainly makes ME look at the source of the loud, annoying sound. Can't speak for everyone else though.

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lol ... i know .. it's like what idiot's car won't stop . it never occurs to me there might really be an intrusion as it happens so often / is such an annoying song. guess i should pay more attention though. your question is a good one / i'll pay more attention.

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They wake you up every time a truck or car with subwoofers drive by! And besides no one pays any attention to them anymore. Replace them with C4 under the drivers seat!

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They're only there to be annyone as F|_| C |(

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Well, it gives everyone`s attention to loud annoying sound, and I don`t think burglars want people to see him/her in the process of stealing a car.
And espeacially in America, people are nice, so some tend to get rid of the person thats jacking a car.

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A loud car alarm is just as loud and annoying as the people in line behind you on a cell phone speaking so loud that everybody has to know their biz.
Personally, i think both the car alarm and the annoying cell phone conversations are just a way for people to get attention or get noticed.
can do without both - no car alarms and no loud cell phone talking people.
thanks :)

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Well- they do ensure that you won't waste 8 entire hours asleep...
Since some of the answerers said that they always investigate, I guess that the rest of us can just roll over and go back to sleep.