Rocky Mountain Tracking

Daily GPS News

Providing Evidence in a Vehicle Accident

March 25th, 2009

By James Neely

Have you ever been involved in a vehicular accident in which there was a dispute surrounding the details about who was at fault and how fast the vehicles were travelling? If you have, then you realize how invaluable it would have been to be able to substantiate your position with irrefutable evidence. You can with a GPS tracking system installed on your vehicle.

GPS Reports In a court of law, evidence can be entered when it is obtained from many sources including eye witnesses. But what if there is more than one witness and their testimonies are inconclusive or in conflict? It makes your case more difficult to prove. But, if there are no witnesses then you could be left without a witness to validate your defense.

A GPS car tracking device provides you the following evidentiary information that can help you in your court case.

Location. Where was your vehicle? A GPS tracking device can pin-point the exact location to within several feet. And those few feet can mean the difference between being in the right, or wrong. When it comes to being able to see whether or not you were in your own lane, the cost becomes a non-issue.

Time. What time was your vehicle at the location? Timing is critical in an accident especially given the speeds on our streets and roads. It means the difference between placing you in an intersection or a few feet before or beyond it.

Direction. Which way were you travelling when the accident occurred? Does the opposition maintain that you were going south when you were really going east? Or, even more importantly, was your vehicle going straight through an intersection or were you turning at the time?

Speed. Even radar units can fail if they are not properly maintained. And that goes for the stationary units that are being used at intersections and along busy highways. A GPS tracking system provides accurate speed data to refute faulty equipment or down-right fabrications in an effort to convict you in error.

All of this can save you not only money in any judgments against you, but you can also save money on your insurance as well. This translates into you keeping more of your money and who does not need that these days.

Investigate the benefits of a GPS car tracker today and make sure you are covered with an extra measure of protection while you are driving. You will not regret it.

GPS Tracking Helps School District Track Expenses

March 23rd, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

www.RMTracking.com The Charleston School District in Charleston, South Carolina has found a new way to track expenses for the district. Several of the district’s employees are carrying two way radios equipped with GPS tracking technology that allows the district to follow their movements while on the clock. In some cases, this has led to conversations between employees and supervisors about how much time is spent on certain tasks. School officials can also tell if employees are speeding in district owned vehicles when traveling from one location to another.

The primary reason for adding the GPS tracking capability was a problem with the way the school district paid overtime to its employees. The devices chosen give the employees the ability to clock in and out remotely using their radios to provide the district with accurate details on when they are or are not working.

According to the district management, the devices are not used to track the movements of employees when they are not on the clock. This is an important fact because the question has been raised about whether these devices constitute an invasion of privacy. The predominant legal opinion is that as long as these devices are only used to track movements of employees while on the clock, there is no invasion of privacy. Supervisors have the right and the responsibility to know exactly where their employees are working at any given time during the work day.

Several other school districts are looking at implementing a similar plan in the near future. While placing devices in vehicles is much more common than in radios, this system works for those employees who may have to drive their own personal vehicles to perform certain job related services. It also assures them that they will receive proper reimbursement for the use of their own vehicles.

One thing that is under serious consideration is adding GPS tracking for better fleet management of all the school buses in the district. This step would allow the district to monitor the driving habits of all its bus drivers and better ensure the safety of the students who are on the buses.

Public schools are beset by expenses that can often make them operate at a deficit. This has been the case with the Charleston School District for several years. Some question the viability of the GPS tracking program, but the school superintendent says that he may cut other expenses, but he will fight to keep the GPS system in place because it does show where a lot of wasted money is being spent and help to control expenses.

Are You a Target for a Speeding Ticket?

March 20th, 2009

By James Neely

Police Radar Do you drive a vehicle that looks like it is going fast even when it is sitting still? Do you know that you can become a target of authorities just because of the type of vehicle you drive?

This is the ugly side of law enforcement that is visible to the public. Your vehicle has been ‘profiled’ by police. Maybe not officially, but when on patrol, officers have an instinctive reaction to seeing a ‘fast’ car. Be on the watch.

No one doubts the role that speed limits have on our streets and highways. But, let us have an honest discussion about speed limits. There are those zones which exist solely for the purpose of catching violators.

Put these two together (fast cars and speed traps), and you can have a costly combination. In addition to this, radar units can and do fail. One question that must be answered by police departments is “when was the last time the radar unit was calibrated?” If they are not calibrated to manufacturing specifications regularly, then any tickets that are handed out based on those readings can and should be thrown out of court. There are many other mistakes that officers make, such as, clocking the wrong vehicle, mobile vs. stationary radar interferences , etc.

Vehicle Speed Report But, from a more practical side, there is a way to provide evidence of speed limit compliance. A GPS vehicle tracking system can provide reports that will substantiate your actual speed at a given location and time. These reports are admissible as evidence in court and can help prevent points from being placed on your license because you can generate evidence that you were not speeding.

Traffic court is an interesting place. You are given your time in front of a judge, but most of the time, the process is a big display of how a system that is overcrowded fails miserably. The best approach to take is to bring your evidence with you to court to show the judge what your reports say.

It is not uncommon to have charges thrown out in these courts if you have solid evidence to the contrary from what you are being charged. A GPS tracking system makes this a reality.

A well-balanced, responsible driver will not intentionally disregard speed limits while traveling about. But, it never hurts to have that extra measure of assurance to help you in case you are ever in the position of needing it. Better it is to have it and not need it, rather than need it and not have it.

Which GPS Tracking Unit Is Right For You?

March 19th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

GPS Your teenager is about to get his first driver’s license. You have some concerns about this; you remember well how you drove when you first got your license. A friend mentions to you in conversation that you can get a device that will tell you where your teenager and their car are at any time. This sounds like a good solution; however, which GPS tracking system do you buy?

When you bought your car you did research on which vehicle best fit your needs. When you are purchasing a tracking unit, you also need to do some research. Fortunately, by using the Internet, research is relatively easy when looking for a unit that will fit your needs.

There are several considerations in buying one of these units. How much data do you need? Obviously you want to know location but do you also want to know speed and engine data? Do you want to be able to view the data in real time or is data stored in the unit and downloaded at a later time satisfactory?

As with any other product, the more options that you select the more expensive the unit becomes. At some point critical choices must be made due to budgetary considerations. Once you have decided which options you desire, those options should be prioritized to enable you to meet the most critical concerns while still staying inside your budget.

Once you have decided upon 2 or 3 units that will meet your expectations find and read reviews on the units. These reviews will provide you the user experience of others and provide you more data to make your final decision.

When you have finally decided upon a GPS tracking system, you often have the choice of installing the unit yourself or having the installation done by a professional. One thing that you can be sure of is that your new driver will eventually know it is installed in the vehicle. Even the most covert installation will be uncovered once you provide the new driver the data that you have recorded about their driving habits. Having the data is only beneficial if you can modify the driving habits of the new driver. Presenting the data to the new driver will reveal the installation of the system in their vehicle.

There is no one best GPS tracking unit on the market. Each of the systems has benefits and drawbacks. Some systems will provide more information than you need some won’t provide enough. Only diligent research will provide you the material that you need to make the final decision, which GPS tracking system is right for you.

GPS Tracking System To Save Time and Expense in Time Distance Rallies

March 12th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

Time Speed Distance rallies are car races which are conducted on the open, public road. Usually there are many cars and they have to be started on a time delay, in a staggered fashion. These are very complicated races. The competitors, usually a driver and a navigator, have to follow instructions given out by the rally master. These instructions can be of the form: ‘drive in as straight a line as possible’ or, ‘turn right on the next road.’ The winner is the car who achieves the lowest score. That is, they follow all the instructions exactly and incur no points at all.

In the olden days, the winners were calculated using extremely old fashioned equipment such as maps and slide rules. Marshalls along the length of the track took time and location readings. These were conveyed to the race organizers. Later computers and calculators were used to work out who was the elusive zero-hero. Complex equations and calculations and expensive and delicate on board odometers were used.

A GPS tracking system is not only useful for finding the position of something, but also for tracking its movement across a certain distance. They work by using signals from satellites in space which transmit exact data at synchronized intervals. Because each satellite transmits the signal at exactly the same time, a receiver on Earth can judge its location by extrapolating differential information.

The Time Speed Distance rallies need to have absolutely accurate information to be useful in judging who has won. Each distance and time recorded must be precision correct. Arriving early is just as bad as if the drivers arrive late. Just such computations can be worked out using GPS tracking technology. Initial tests have been conducted to compare the tracking technology with data provided by the expensive on-board odometers. By conducting these tests it was hoped to examine whether GPS tracking can work out accurate enough data in real-time.

It has been found that both systems can provide incredibly accurate information which can be used to compare two cars and see which one has won the race. The only difference has been that the on board odometer is very expensive and does provide real-time information, but this all happens after the race has been run and computers are used to perform the calculations. Using real-time GPS technology, the winners can be decided seconds after the race has been run.

Improving Teen Driver Safety

March 9th, 2009

By James Neely

An interesting story out of Indiana finds that state in the midst of attempting to pass legislation that is aimed at keeping teen drivers safe by increasing the age at which they can obtain a drivers license to 16 ½. In addition, this new set of regulations seeks to restrict the first six months of a teen’s driving to family and adults only. While these intentions are to be applauded the question is will they really help usher in a safer driving environment for teens?

www.RMTracking.com Everyone recognizes that law enforcement officers are already beset with enforcing mounting regulations on our busy streets and highways. Will they have the foresight and presence of mind to pull over every vehicle that is being driven by someone who looks like a teenager?

The primary focus of safety efforts on our roads should be in training and accountability. Too often, teens are turned into drivers before they are ready. But, worse than this is the lack of oversight that produces adherence to rules and regulations by parents and family.

One way that this issue can be tackled better is with a GPS Tracking system. Once placed into your vehicle, you can accurately track where and when that vehicle has been driven. Informing those in your family who have driver’s licenses of this system sends a message that enforcement of rules and laws is not an option.

Not only that, this system provides data on how fast the vehicle was driven as well. The local police might not be around to enforce speed limits when your teen driver is on the road, but you have that ability in one of these systems.

An extra set of eyes is good for accountability as well. We all have driving stories in our past that we are loathe to repeat because we understand and recognize that if the circumstances were different, outcomes could have been devastating. And we also know that if there were someone looking over our shoulder at the time, things would have been different.

The fact is that you are not going to be able to be everywhere at all times to check on your children. But why not use technology that gives you a hand in performing this task? This technology is complete, thorough and provides everything you need to be a wise parent in knowing what your teen driver are doing with your vehicles.

The cost for these systems is very affordable, but the sense of safety and added comfort in knowing what your teens are up to is priceless.

Choosing the Right GPS Tracking system

March 7th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

With the advances made in GPS tracking technology since it first became available to the public in the 1990s, there are now several different vehicle tracking systems on the market that operate using GPS technology. With so many different options available, sometimes it is difficult to choose the right GPS tracking system to fit your needs. Some devices are capable of doing more than just providing data on the location of the vehicle. There are even some now that can double as wireless communication devices, a handy feature on fleet vehicles that are often in areas unreachable by cell phone.

The purpose for which the vehicle tracking device will be used is the main factor in determining which system will be the most suitable and which devices are best. Fleet owners will want to have tracking devices that offer many features including real time location information and possibly wireless communication with the driver in certain instances.

Individuals wishing to track the movements of a spouse covertly will want a small device that can be installed in secret and hidden from prying eyes that might notice something unusual. Parents wishing to track their teen drivers’ movements will want a system that is both covert, to hide it from car thieves, and something that can be shown to their teens to let them know that they are being monitored.

As the above examples show, different uses for the GPS technology call for different vehicle tracking devices. In addition, the features needed will come with very different prices. In order to get a real time updated location on where the vehicle is, it will cost more than a system that updates every few minutes. The more often the system updates and transmits its location, the more accurate speed data and location will be when viewed on a computer.

Whether the vehicle tracking device is needed for a fleet vehicle, a privately owned car for the purpose of tracking a spouse or teen driver, or any vehicle as a deterrent to thefts, installation of the best system for the job does not buying the cheapest device on the market. When it comes to GPS tracking technology, this really is a case where you get what you pay for. Taking some time to shop around and look at different systems and devices will prove a wise decision no matter what the device is being installed for. For more information about GPS or to purchase a tracking device, call Rocky Mountain Tracking, Inc. at 1-888-242-0500.

GPS Tracking Helps Prevent Crime

March 7th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

Many people know that GPS Tracking devices can and are placed in cars, trucks, containers and any other device that carries commodities. What many people don’t know is that these tracking devices are also contained in smart cell phones. These current state of the art version communication devices also contain the software to allow them to be tracked.

The Johnson City Tennessee police department plans to equip all of its officers with smartphones. These smartphones would allow the dispatcher and supervisor to be in constant touch with an officer out on patrol. The GPS software built into the phone would allow the dispatcher to immediately identify the officer nearest to where a call has come in from and dispatch that officer. This lowers response time to the scene of a crime, consequently increasing the chances of apprehending a criminal.

The smartphones with their 3G technology would reduce the reliance of the Johnson City police department upon radio communication and provide an effective alternative for communications with the officer when the officer is out of his patrol car and away from the radio. When an officer engages in the pursuit of a criminal, the officer would no longer have to update the dispatcher as to where he is. The GPS Tracking software in his phone would take care of that for him. The dispatcher would simply have to watch as the smartphone updates its location. The dispatcher would then has multiple options to vector additional officers to aid in the pursuit and apprehension of the criminal.

The GPS function built into the current edition of smart phones allows the user to always acquire directions. These directions can be as simple as finding a location in a city never visited before to as complex as a police officer finding his way to a remote geographical location on the other side of town. The abilities that GPS Tracking systems have built into them allow police departments an advantage in apprehending criminals. Law enforcement officers through their smart phones are always in touch with the dispatcher. The dispatcher always knows where the assets on duty are. Officers on duty never have to think about where an address is located whether serving a warrant or answering a call. The GPS unit will take them there.

Johnson City Tennessee, after a pilot program, hopes the issue and utilization of the GPS cell phone tracking capabilities of smartphones provides a worthwhile tool in the prevention of crime. The ability to quickly determine the closest officer to a call, the ability to direct additional units in cases of high speed pursuits and the ability to always know what every officers’ location is at all times has resulted in reduced crime statistics in Johnson City Tennessee.

Law Enforcement Use GPS Tracking Device

March 7th, 2009

By James Neely

In law enforcement, knowledge is king. Think about the amount of information that is gathered by our police and court systems that aide and assist in enforcing laws and ruling that are issued every day. Seem a little overwhelming? Yet, these organizations would not be able to function properly without the information that they gather which is used to support and enforce laws and judgments.

Police That is why it is becoming more and more important to consider adding a GPS Tracking system to police and other public law enforcement agencies. Not only can assets such as police, fire, rescue and other official vehicles be tracked, but in the case of severe law-breaking, these units can be ordered by the court system to be attached to vehicles that are under the ownership of those who have judgments against them. These systems can help monitor usage and verify compliance.

For police and safety vehicles, the monitoring of where and when can help verify police activity in a given situation. The ability to track vehicles in real time presents an opportunity to report and verify in data format to substantiate a testimony in a court case on the part of a district attorney.

In addition, the assets of a police department other than patrolling vehicles can be monitored as well. Included in this list could be boats, RV units, motorcycles and anything else that needs to be located and managed from a single console.

In terms of Fire and Rescue vehicles, the ability to track calls and runs helps generate reports that show vehicle usage. This can be used to justify purchase requests for additional equipment based on demand.

Publically owned, official vehicles can be tracked as well and reported on for speed, distance and time verification. The philosophy that everyone needs to be held accountable is good for the public but also applies to these agencies as well.

Finally, while law enforcement by court adjudication is more difficult, the fact remains that there is not enough being done in this realm. Court-ordered compliance of judgments that require adherence to time and location restrictions can be enforced with the use of a GPS tracking device.

The public safety systems that have and use these systems are in a much better position of managing their fleets, and providing official data to support their efforts. That alone is worth the price of installation and usage.

A New Twist on GPS Tracking Teen Drivers

March 5th, 2009

By Greg Bartlett

The benefits of having GPS vehicle tracking devices installed have been outlined many times. These vehicle tracking devices allow the owners of vehicles to locate their car, even if it is stolen, and call the authorities in time to make a safe recovery of the vehicle and usually arrest the thief. Businesses are using the technology to track their vehicle fleets and are finding many money saving benefits because of their implementation of the GPS tracking system. Parents are able to track the movements of their inexperienced teen drivers and maintain some sort of control over the vehicle even while at home.

You have probably also heard about the fact that many courts are admitting GPS tracking logs and reports as evidence in trials where the GPS data proves the persons guilt, or at least helps to prove it. In a landmark case in California, parents are going to court with their son to fight a speeding ticket. According to the ticket, he was clocked at 62 mph in a 45 mph zone. The tracking device in the vehicle he was driving was set to transmit an alarm if his speed exceeded a certain amount. That alarm never came, and the data from the GPS log indicates that the boy was driving the speed limit at the time the officer says he clocked him on radar.

If the judge in the case allows the GPS log to be admitted as evidence of the boy’s innocence, and dismisses the case, this will prove to be a pivotal point in the history of using GPS technology to track vehicle movements. If this one case goes in favor of the boy, the court will have provided professional drivers, whose vehicles are often equipped with GPS tracking devices, with a powerful tool to use to fight tickets they feel are unjustly issued. When the ticket says speeding and the GPS log says otherwise, someone is going to be wrong. With so many cases already decided with GPS evidence entered for the prosecution, it is going to be difficult to rule that the data is not accurate in this case.

Many parents have GPS vehicle tracking installed in the vehicles they allow their teens to drive. This allows the parents to know if their children are speeding or driving in areas they are supposed to avoid. The goal is for parents to still protect their kids as much as possible. In this new twist, parents may very well be protecting their son from an unjust speeding ticket by using the data from their GPS tracking device.