Although there are many things that your garage door is used for, projecting porn onto it is not usually one of them. However, that’s exactly what a man from Virginia was arrested for recently. Now, in the spirit of all things fun, we thought we’d talk you through some of the things you should probably be using your garage door for instead of displaying adult content to anyone who passes by!

According to a story by Fox News, “Antonio Smallwood, 41, of Virginia was busted last week for allegedly projecting a porn flick on the front of his garage door for his neighbors to see.” Local police were called to Mr. Smallwood’s home following an unusual 911 call from one of the man’s neighbors about the incident. Once the officer arrived on the scene, he was said to observe “a movie involving sexual activity being projected on the garage door of the residence” according to a report from The Smoking Gun.

Mr. Smallwood reportedly refused to be served a summons for screening the adult film on his garage door, so the police officer was left with no choice but to arrest him. He was charged with obscene sexual display and obstruction of justice due to the raunchy garage door display, and he was soon taken down to the local jail where he is being held without bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on March 8th 2019, although we’re not sure what the legal precedent is for displaying porn on your garage door in plain sight!

Now that we’ve got that sordid tale out of the way, let’s look at 3 things that you should REALLY be using your garage door for!

1. Providing safe and easy access to your home

With smart garage door openers and voice activated products becoming more and more prevalent around the country, there are many ways you can control and access your home. Utilizing your smart device and using apps such as myQ, can provide you safe and easy remote access to your home. Garage door opener manufacturers, including Chamberlain, Marantec and Genie feature built-in and mobile garage door control systems in their products. Utilizing advanced IoT wireless technology, smart garage door openers and mobile control systems allowing you to control and monitor your garage door from just about anywhere. This means you can let your friends/family into your house (via the garage door) when you’re not at home, meaning you can let people in and out of your house safely even if you’re not physically present. This is incredibly useful if you’ve got house guests and you’re busy working late, or even for using with your spouse/children if they forget their keys and cannot access your home.

2. Protecting your vehicles from theft

Although the rate of motor vehicle theft is generally dropping in the US according to Statista, this should not be a reason to let your guard down, as this is when an opportunistic thief may strike and attempt to steal your vehicle. A well-maintained garage door provides you with the physical barrier of protection that you need in order to separate your car from the sidewalk outside, and it also has an “out of sight, out of mind” effect on criminals, especially if your car is a high-value automobile. As advised in many news articles, you must retain your vigilance when it comes to protecting your car from vehicle theft, and investing in a strong and sturdy garage door is one of the easiest ways to secure your home and cars, which is likely to be your most expensive asset after your home itself. Although some of the sturdy and energy efficient garage doors may set you back and cost more to purchase, they will nonetheless make it easier to keep your vehicle away from the eyes of criminals.

3. Protecting your belongings

According to Fox 16, Benton police have recently warned people to take certain steps to prevent vehicle break-ins, and investing in a robust garage door is unsurprisingly one of them! You see, as cars become more and more difficult to steal due to anti-theft technology which gets better and better, thieves are continually resorting to stealing the belongings from a car instead of stealing the car itself. For this reason, it is advisable to leave any belongings in your car out of sight, especially when it is parked in a public parking lot or street. However, when your car is parked at home, a strong garage door is the easiest way to stop criminals from seeing your car and the belongings that are stored away inside it.

With that being said, there are many things that your garage door is useful for, whether it’s safeguarding your home, keeping your car safe, or protecting your vehicle from poor weather. Whatever you use your garage door for, just make sure that you’re not projecting anything inappropriate onto it!