Your home may be equipped with a burglar alarm you’re not even aware of

A friend sent me this e-mail with an excellent safety tip for anyone who owns a car with a car alarm that can be activated by pressing a button on the key chain fob.

“Tell your family, your friends, your neighbors, the check out girl at the market – everyone you run across…

“Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.

“This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this:

“It’s a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar won’t stick around.”

This handy alarm might also be useful while walking alone to your car in a quiet parking garage or parking lot.