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Car Safety

When discussing car safety and auto-theft protection many experts will usually discuss GPS tracking systems, car alarms or more simple steps such as parking a vehicle in the garage or locking doors. The experts will usually share statistics about the increase in car burglaries, and some helpful tips on how to prevent the problem.

GPS & Auto Theft

Taking a more hands-on approach to the problem with car-theft and burglary, the Houston Police Department decided to give people a demonstration on how quickly and efficiently the bad guys operate. With the assistance of State Farm Insurance, who provided the police a demo vehicle, the Houston Police staged a mock break-in.

How the demonstration worked was outside of city hall some city officials gathered in a parking lot. An officer, dressed as a civilian, played the role of a car burglar. As the pseudo car burglar approached the vehicle he tapped the passenger windshield with a tool that caused the window to spider web crack. This made little to no noise, surprising many of the people viewing the demonstration. The pseudo car burglar then quickly brushed away the glass and stole items that were inside the vehicle, showing the audience how quick and easy it is for a bad guy to enter a vehicle without causing a scene.

The Houston Police also stated that the car burglar could have easily hot-wired the vehicle and stole the automobile just as easily.

The point of the demonstration was to draw attention to the fact that in Houston nearly half of all burglaries are auto-related incidents. Car burglars will often spot laptops, computer equipment, GPS navigation devices or other valuables. They then target these vehicles late at night.

Although police have stated that it can be difficult to completely stop these acts of criminal behavior, they have expressed that the use of GPS tracking devices and car alarm systems can help prevent the likelihood of the vehicle being stolen.

Ryan Horban is a guest author who specializes in writing about GPS technology and monitoring devices for Tracking System Direct.