Email

By Greg Bartlett

So, you can’t afford the car you want, and you figure the best way around your lack of financing is to steal the car. That’s not really the wisest choice, but if you insist upon stealing a car, take a word of advice. Don’t steal one with a GPS car tracking system unless you have an urge to spend some time in prison.

A GPS tracker can give the police, the car company, and the owner the precise location of the car at any time, whether because the owner wants to know where his teenage daughter is, the lender needs to repossess the car when the owner stops making payments, or the police need to impound the vehicle because the owner drove it while under the influence or under a suspended license. Or there could be a host of other reasons for tracking the car, including finding out where you took it when you stole it.

Car thieves in Florida recently learned this the hard way. After stealing cash and a TV, they appropriated a BMW convertible. Unfortunately for them, the car had a GPS tracking system installed. So when the owner realized the car had been stolen, BMW determined the location of the car and notified police, who promptly engaged in a chase which eventually ended in the capture of the car thieves.

Most people who steal cars attempt to avoid police and don’t want to authorities where they are. It usually helps them to maintain their freedom and ability to make choices about where they’ll live, what they’ll eat, and what they’ll wear, which they won’t have if they’re captured and sent to prison for auto theft. But apparently these car thieves really didn’t care. Perhaps they just stole the car so they could participate in a police chase before being sent to prison.

Police also use GPS car tracking in bait cars, where they wait until someone – like you – steals the vehicle before flipping the “kill switch.” The car’s engine then shuts down, the doors lock and won’t open (keeping you inside), and the horn honks loudly until police officers show up. Another excellent vehicle to steal if you’re looking for a quick trip to prison.

So consider before you steal a car. You may want to look for one without a GPS tracker. It will probably save you from heading straight to prison.