Date: March 22, 2017
Recent FBI statistics show that a burglary occurs in the U.S. every 18 seconds. That’s an alarming rate. Most of us want to believe that we live in a safe and idyllic neighborhood, but the reality is that the risk of home invasion is present anywhere. So, familiarize yourself with these additional crime statistics and then take action with our garage door security tips.
- Most burglaries take place between 10 AM – 3 PM when homeowners are at work.
- 74% of all burglaries target a residence.
- $13 billion of property was stolen in home burglaries and only 21% of the property was ever recovered.
- Popular entrance points are the front door (34%) and first-floor windows (23%), but 9% of burglars accessed a home through a garage.
- Experienced burglars can open an overhead garage door in less than 10 seconds.
Garage Door Security Tips
Although the garage door is not usually a burglar’s main point of entrance, secure and protected garages could eliminate over 110,000 burglaries each year, one of which could be yours.
Shield Your Emergency Release
When the garage door is the point of access in a home invasion, it’s a very swift process. In under 10 seconds, a burglar can wedge a gap at the top of your garage door, between the weather sealing and door, then use long wire or a hanger to reach your door’s emergency release.
To combat this, you can install a simple shield that blocks your emergency release system. When a burglar finds that their quick access has hit a roadblock, they will move on for fear of being noticed.
Additional Garage Door Security
Use a timer: If you often forget to close your garage door in the hustle and bustle of hectic mornings, you can install a timer that ensures your door closes at a predetermined time each day.
Security system extensions: If your home is already protected by a security system, make sure that the protection extends to cover your garage access points, such as your garage door, entry door, and windows. If you haven’t protected your entire home, you can install a system just in your garage.
Lock and deadbolt entry doors: This includes any entry doors that allow you to enter the garage from the outside and the door that allows you to enter your home from the garage. Many people keep this door unlocked, relying on their garage door to provide overall protection. You can also invest in an interior lock reinforcer that prevents burglars from kicking in or battering your door.
Motion detection lights: Although daytime is the prime time for home invasion, protect your garage’s access points overnight with motion sensor lights. Home invaders want to work under the cover of darkness so a sudden, intense light may be enough to scare them off.
Upgrade your garage door openers: Ditch the typical clip-on garage door remote that hangs in your car. A burglar can easily open an unlocked car parked in the driveway and use the clip-on remote to access the garage. If your car is ever stolen, the thief now has access to your home as well. Instead, opt for a keychain garage door remote that stays inside with you overnight.
No matter if you use a clip-on remote or key-chain remote, if your opener is stolen you can always take the steps to erase a remote control from your door opener’s memory
That makes sense to have your security system cover your garage door. That way you’ll have complete protection. Making sure your home is secure can lower your insurance premiums.
Recently, my fiance and I moved into a new home and we wanted to get new garage doors installed. I really liked your idea to have a timer installed on our doors. This will give us peace of mind as we go throughout our day knowing that the door will close if we forgot to close it ourselves.
Thank you for helping me understand how to make my home safer with using motion detection lights. My mother had these installed at her place and I feel like they would work pretty well in deterring unwanted guests. Just like you mentioned, the sudden intense light may be enough to scare them off. I still remember one time walking up to a door and there was a motion sensor that made a noise as well — that would be awesome to have also. Thanks again!
I have been thinking about getting a garage door for my home, but I really want to make sure it is safe. That is a great idea to install a timer just in case I do forget to close my garage door sometimes. I would love to have a backup plan like that. Thank you for the tips and information!
I think you’re wise to try and secure all the doors that are connected to the garage. I want to get a sturdy door made of some heavy wood so that I can keep my family safe. I think it would be a good idea to get some extra deadbolts added in addition to some cameras.
We’ll be away for a couple of days, and we want to make sure that everything is secure. One of our concerns is our garage door, I am not that confident that it’s totally secured. So I am glad that I stumbled upon your article because I’ve learned about how extending the security system to our doors and all the entry points could protect the entire home. Thanks for the tips!
Thank you, Millie! If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us. There are many ways to ensure garage/garage door safety and our experts can help you achieve that.