GPS fleet tracking systems have become helpful in recovering stolen vehicles. Because these devices are being installed more commonly in personal cars as well as business vans, buses and sedans, more criminal auto theft charges are being filed. In the year 2005, there were over a million car thefts in the United States alone. The monetary loss due to these rip-offs amounted to nearly 8 billion dollars. Here are some things to think about regarding vehicular thefts.

Around the world, certain makes and models of autos are stolen more often than others. In the U.S., the cars stolen by thieves most often include the Toyota Camry, Honda Civic, Honda Accord, Acura Integra, Jeep Cherokee and Cadillac Escalade.

There are multiple ways sedans, trucks and SUVs are stolen. These vehicles are taken from savvy criminals who make this their living to joyriding juveniles or a friend who borrowed a car but never returned it. If a person loans a car to someone he or she knows and the vehicle is not returned, this may or may not be considered a crime. If a friend or teen takes the keys without permission and uses the car, this is still illegal and the owner can press charges. Breaking in and hot-wiring is another method for criminals to make off with one’s set of wheels without access to keys. This can be quite a shock when the owner goes out to drive a vehicle and it’s not in the parking spot where he or she left it. A carjack is similar to a kidnapping of a vehicle. This is when a criminal forces his or her way into a vehicle while its being driven. Sometimes the driver is forced out of the car; other times he or she is kidnapped. Even fraud is considered auto theft. With all the internet car sales through E-Bay and other sites, sometimes fraudulent sales deals go down leaving a seller with a bad check and a crook with a hot set of wheels.

There are various ways to prevent one’s SUV, truck or sedan from being stolen. Some are more effective than others. First, The Club is a popular theft deterrent. The Club locks the steering wheel so no driving can occur. Second, alarms are a noisy deterrent. We’ve all heard the blaring car alarms in parking lots or at the next door neighbors’ houses. These can work because they cause people to look and see what’s causing the loud noise which scares off the criminal. Oversensitive alarms that go off when anyone passes by become ineffective since they are basically crying wolf. Third, GPS fleet tracking devices installed in vehicles help police recover it easily. The computerized map at the receiving station will track the car’s location and patrol cars can head right over.

Over the new few years, auto theft may decline substantially. Criminals will know there are no escape routes when GPS fleet tracking systems lead the cops to their doorstep.

 

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