By Greg Bartlett
Are you a loner? A child? A young woman living alone? A senior citizen? An outdoorsy camping type? Then you might need to consider your personal safety and GPS tracking. Being out and about in the city, or alone in the woods, or anywhere for that matter, has always carried certain risks (even back to the days of highwaymen and bandits, cutthroats and robbers).
Personal Safety & GPS
However, we do have an advantage over our ancestors from the Dark Ages-and that is technology. We all know how GPS can help you find your way and give directions, but a GPS tracking device can keep track of you wherever you go. If you are wearing a GPS tracker and get lost in a storm, crash your car, or are abducted, the tracker will let emergency personnel know your exact location. “So what do you think my cell phone is for?” you may ask.
Cell phones can easily run out of coverage or battery, while a GPS tracker has a battery than can last from 10 to 30 days, depending on which kind you buy. The FBI reports that during 2008, 778,161 missing persons were entered into the NCIC database. Another source cites the number of Americans reported missing daily at 2,300. The news is also full of horror stories of people gone missing-campers trekking off happily into the woods to never be seen alive again; college girls out for a run are mysteriously abducted; children are snatched from their neighborhoods.
You can’t help but wonder if things would have turned out differently if the victims had been wearing a GPS tracking device for their personal safety. While these are definitely statistics on the morbid side, what about your personal safety during travel? A dangerous storm, your tire blows, your cell phone dies, you are stranded. A GPS tracking device can help keep you safe by registering data about your location (via satellite) and downloading to an internet source. Active GPS tracking systems are considered to be “real-time.” Passive GPS tracking systems are more of a record of what happened-where the vehicle or person went, how long they were there, etc.
Some GPS even notifies a phone or email if unauthorized movement, tampering, or other suspicious activities occur. If you are concerned about your personal safety or the personal safety of a child, elderly relative, or any loved one, consider making the investment in a GPS tracking device. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
