New garage doors, garage door openers and accessories prevent intruders from invading your home
 CCORDING to statistics compiled by metropolitan police departments, approximately 50 percent
of all residential burglaries occur because a garage door is left open or is outdated and no longer secure.
The garage door industry is reminding homeowners in 2009 to make it a practice to keep their garage doors closed
when not in use.
“An open garage door is an open invitation to thieves,” says Chris Long, executive director of the International Door
Association. “Thieves are also targeting remote controls that are not locked up in vehicles parked outside.”
Long says many Americans are now upgrading their garage doors to stylish new models that are now available.
“Unfortunately, many homeowners are in the dangerous habit of leaving their garage doors open. If you’ve just bought
a stylish new garage door, why not show it off and keep it closed?”
Today’s technologies enable new garage doors to provide greater security than the garage doors of yesteryear. Garage
doors paired with open-door alert systems, miniature keyring remote controls and numerically coded or fingerprint keypad
entry systems keep unwanted visitors out of your home and away from your family’s belongings.
GarageWowNow.com, a non-commercial, home improvement resource sponsored by the garage door industry, provides
ways to improve home safety and security. In addition to explaining the advantages of installing today’s new garage door
styles, the site also offers insight to the many garage door accessories that can keep a home safe.
OPEN-DOOR ALERT SYSTEMS
How many times have you gone in your house after working in your yard or carrying groceries out of your car and left the
garage door open? New garage doors can be equipped with an open garage door monitor that can be affixed to your door
system. When a garage door is left open, a warning light will indicate “open door” – a signal for you to close your garage
door. Homeowners can sleep easy, knowing their garage doors are closed and their families are safe.
MINIATURE KEYRING REMOTE CONTROLS
Another tool for the security-minded homeowner is a miniature keyring remote control. Think about it. Leaving your
garage door remote control opener in your car – whether it’s parked in your driveway or anywhere – is the same as
leaving your house keys on your driver’s seat.
“Crafty thieves are breaking into vehicles and grabbing the garage door remote and getting your home address from your
car’s registration or insurance documents,” adds Long. “They then drive to your home and pull right in your garage.”
Long recommends replacing your visor-clip remote control with a handy miniature keyring remote control. Hooked onto
your keychain, these remotes can easily be carried with you at all times.
KEYLESS ENTRY SYSTEMS
One of the most popular garage door accessories is a keypad entry system mounted outside your garage door. With these
devices, you can open your garage door with a simple swipe of your fingerprint or by entering a 4-digit code.
These tools keep out intruders while providing easy access only to the people who need it. Give your personal code only
to family and trusted friends. Fingerprint controls can also be programmed for multiple fingerprints.
Long invites homeowners to visit GarageWowNow.com for information on the newest accessories, the latest styles of
garage doors and a dealer locator. The site is a valuable resource that sells no products and is sponsored by the garage
door industry’s dealer and manufacturer associations. |
