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By Greg Bartlett

The value of GPS tracking systems as a means of protecting vehicles in the event of theft has long been acknowledged by insurance companies. Many go so far as to offer discounts on premiums for customers who have GPS tracking devices installed in their vehicles. One insurance company is going a step further in the effort to curb car thefts in this country.

Allstate Insurance is equipping 14 cars with top end electronics, a GPS tracking device, and other features to make these cars attractive to car thieves. They are not publishing the make or model of the cars being so equipped, because they are being donated to police departments to use as bait to catch thieves.

The idea is for the would-be thief to see this car and be so attracted to it that he tries to steal it for stripping or selling to a chop shop. As soon as the car moves, a signal is sent to police monitoring the GPS device’s signal and police can move in and arrest the thief. If the car is taken, the police can follow its location with the GPS data in real time.

The aim of this insurance company is to provide police with a tool they can use to curb the number of car thefts because the thieves never know when the car they are looking at is the one that is set up as bait to catch them. If this program works, the odds are good that it will be repeated in other cities across the country.

GPS tracking of vehicles has proven its uses in the recovery of stolen vehicles and arrest of car thieves on many different occasions in every state. It has also proven its value as a lifesaving system in the event of an accident when the driver is rendered unable to speak. Management of fleets by businesses is also a common use of the technology that has resulted in substantial savings for businesses of all types, from plumbers to cross country trucking services.

Insurance companies have accepted and recognized the value of GPS technology in the tracking of vehicles and aiding in their recover following theft for quite some time. The fact that most GPS equipped vehicles are recovered in an undamaged condition saves these insurers a great deal of money in claims every year. Even so, their goal is not to have to pay out anything in claims. To this end, Allstate Insurance is taking a proactive step toward reducing or eliminating vehicle theft in 14 cities in the country this year.