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I was practically OCD about locking doors, and making sure they were locked. 3 a.m., the dog needs to go out, I let them out, lock the door behind them, wait, let them back in, lock the door behind them again. Then, I checked the front door, and the garage door locks as well.

Then my next door neighbor's house got broken into. Middle of the day, and they took everything. Well, that was it for me.

I shopped around, and got my home a security system. Oh how my sleeping improved! In addition to deterring burglars just by having the sign in your lawn, my alarm system has a feature that tells you when the doors or windows with monitors are open, removing human error as well as possible crime. There was no more late night door checking. I knew things were shut and locked because my system told me so. I knew that I wouldn't succumb to Carbon Monoxide poisoning in the night, because I had a CM monitor that not only set off an alarm, but alerted the authorities as well. I knew that when I was away my puppies and kitties would have a better chance of surviving because my security system's smoke detector and fire alarm also alerted the authorities, giving them a much better survival rate in case of a fire. For me, I couldn't put a price on that. There's no price on a good night's sleep, and peace of mind.

Did I mention that most insurance companies will lower your homeowners insurance if you have a security system in your home?

Security systems have many types of technology. Our security system works through a cellular connection, so if an extra sneaky burglar thinks to bypass your system by cutting your phone line, they will be disappointed with the results. It also has an auxiliary rechargeable power source, so even in the event of power loss, you are still secure.

If you're thinking, it will never happen to you, as we are all prone to do, take a look at the information provided below.

According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report;
- There were an estimated 9,767,915 property crime offenses in the Nation in 2008.
- The 2-year trend showed property crime decreased 0.8 percent in 2008 compared with 2007 estimates. The 5-year trend, comparing 2008 with 2004, showed a 5.3 percent drop in property crime.
- In 2008, the rate of property crimes was estimated at 3,212.5 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants
- Larceny-theft accounted for 67.5 percent of all property crimes in 2008. Burglary accounted for 22.7 percent and motor vehicle theft for 9.8 percent.
- An estimated 17.2 billion dollars in losses resulted from property crimes in 2008.

The problem with the UCR, is that it is only able to provide information given to FBI, and many different law enforcement agencies collect and categorize information differently. This, combined with the fact that they can only catalogue reported crimes, leads to potentially higher numbers than those shown above.

The National Fire Protection Association reports the following on home fires.

"In 2008, U.S. fire departments responded to 386,500 home structure1 fires. These fires caused 13,160 civilian injuries, 2,755 civilian deaths, $8.2 billion in direct damage"

Unfortunately, none of these statistics count the lives of family pets lost, and precious personal items such as wedding pictures, baby pictures, family heirlooms, souvenirs from family trips, and your acquired lifetime of tangible memories, lost forever to the flames of a home fire.

The CDC reports the following on carbon monoxide poisoning.

"Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, tasteless toxic gas produced by incomplete combustion in fuel-burning devices such as motor vehicles, gas-powered furnaces, and portable generators. Persons with CO poisoning often overlook the symptoms (e.g., headache, nausea, dizziness, or confusion), and undetected exposure can be fatal. Unintentional CO exposure accounts for an estimated 15,000 emergency department visits and 500 unintentional deaths in the United States each year. The most recent state-level estimates of CO-related deaths were described in 1991 for the years 1979-1988. Using the most recent mortality data available, this report updates national and state-specific unintentional, non-fire-related CO mortality rates and describes the demographic, seasonal, and geographic patterns for 1999-2004. During this period, an average of 439 persons died annually from unintentional, non-fire-related CO poisoning, and the national average annual death rate was 1.5 per million persons."

So, out of all of the deaths in the entire United States, 439 out of 1.5 million deaths were from carbon monoxide poisoning alone.

The CDC continued to say that most of those deaths occurred in January, when the weather is the coldest, and people are more likely to be running their furnaces.

So, I found that my concerns for my safety and that of my family, the security of my home, and possessions, and a lower rate on my homeowners insurance were all taken care of by getting my family home a security system.

About the Author:

TheTopTens provides a list of the top ten best Home Security Alarm System Companies as well as thousands of other top ten list such as the All Time Greatest World Cup Teams and the Best Credit Repair Companies.

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