By Greg Bartlett
Every 28.8 seconds, a vehicle is stolen. In 2007, that equaled over 1 million stolen cars and a loss of about $7.4 billion. Some cars are more commonly targeted than others. Honda Accords and Toyota Camrys dominate the top of the list of most stolen cars, and have for about three years. If you’re like my family and have a Honda Accord or a Toyota Camry, that may make you even more concerned about the issue of car theft.
Unfortunately, recovering stolen cars doesn’t occur as often as owners hope. In 2007, about 12.6% of auto theft cases were cleared by arrests, the same percentage as in 2006. One of the ways that officials say are helping to recover more stolen cars is with GPS vehicle tracking. In fact, studies show that around 90% of vehicles with GPS tracking units are recovered by police and returned to their owners.
GPS vehicle tracking allows you to know where your vehicle is at all times. While this may be helpful for everyday activities, such as when you want to know where one of your family members took the car, it is very useful if your vehicle is ever stolen. Police can locate your vehicle, track it if it is driven away, and often recover the vehicle within a few minutes or hours. Sometimes they are able to apprehend the thief, too.
Recently a car thief in Georgia learned the hazards of stealing a car with a GPS tracking device inside. He took off down the road, but the car was a police bait car designed to help catch the individual responsible for a recent string of auto thefts. The police knew the moment he stole the vehicle and activated the device which turned off the engine and locked the doors, trapping the thief inside. Then they drove out and arrested him.
Police aren’t the only ones to use and benefit from GPS vehicle tracking. Many individuals are putting GPS devices inside their cars, and, if their vehicles are stolen, are able to send police to recover them right away – and usually get them back. Some GPS systems also have the option to turn off the car and lock the doors, like the bait car in Georgia.
Whether or not you drive one of the typically targeted cars, keeping your car safe is important. If your vehicle is stolen, you can increase the possibility of it being recovered with GPS vehicle tracking.
