Car Thefts Decrease Thanks to GPS Tracking

(My Original Blog Post: http://ping.fm/IiCjk)
by Greg Bartlett

Each year, over a million automobiles are stolen, costing around $7.4 billion since few of the cars are recovered.  The good news is that the vehicle theft rate has been dropping in recent years, in part because of GPS tracking systems which are designed to locate and recover stolen vehicles.

[caption id="attachment_4829" align="alignright" width="422" caption="GPS & Car Theft"][/caption]

GPS tracking systems provide car owners – and police – with a unique way of discovering the vehicle’s location.  The GPS device installed in the car will keep track of where the car is, what stops the car makes, and at what speed the car is going.  It can even automatically alert the owner should the car be driven during particular times of the day or outside of preset boundaries.  Even if the thief is only taking the car out for a joyride, a GPS device can assist the police in finding the vehicle before any damage comes to it.

In North Carolina, a young man recently stole a car during the night.  The vehicle’s owner reported the car stolen when she discovered it was no longer in the parking lot, and the police were able to find out where the car had been driven and where it was because of the GPS tracking device in the vehicle.  The thief was arrested and the vehicle returned to its proper owner.

In Oregon, a man experienced a similar situation when his car was stolen from his home.  Police used the GPS unit installed in the car to locate the vehicle, and then arrested the thief and recovered the undamaged car.  Since many vehicles will end up in chop shops where they are dismantled for parts, locating a vehicle quickly and finding it undamaged are important.  GPS tracking can help to reduce that recovery time which is so vital and thus help to ensure minimal damage to the car.

GPS tracking systems also have other benefits to help reduce theft rates, in addition to simply monitoring the vehicle’s location.  Some tracking devices can enable the owner to remotely shut down the engine or keep the engine from starting, and can even lock or unlock the car’s doors.

Taking precautions such as locking car doors, parking in well-lit areas, and removing or hiding valuables inside a car help to reduce theft rates, but GPS tracking systems are playing an increasing role in locating and recovering stolen vehicles.  For car thieves, GPS is bad news, but for car owners, GPS can mean the quick and hopefully undamaged recovery of a vehicle.