Car owners guide to: Car Security > Trackers
 Vehicle
Tracking should be considered a must-have car security item if you
own any highly desirable vehicle, because the more you attract attention,
the more likely you are to attract the very wrong kind of attention.
As car manufacturers became more alert to the need for a higher
level of basic security measures, and as the effectiveness and reliability
of immobiliser and car alarm systems improved, the career thief
found vehicles increasingly harder to steal. The automotive industry
had successfully taken measures, but now it was the turn of the
thieves to change tactic.
The easiest way to over-ride a modern car security system is obviously
the way the car's legitimate owner does it; with the vehicle's ignition
key. This led to an increase in the number of keys stolen from homes
and offices, pubs and clubs.
Then there are the times when even security-conscious owners park
"for only a moment" to buy a paper, time enough for the
opportunist thief if the keys are not removed.
And more seriously, there is the threat of car-jacking, where a
thief may threaten a car owner as they are parked at traffic lights
or about to leave a car park. It is never sensible to resist, since
even the most precious of possessions is nothing compared to the
threat of serious injury or even death at the hands of an adrenalin-high
thief.
Track, Disable, Recover
Automotive Tracking systems assist in recovering your vehicle in
the event of a theft, and they can be so effective that you could
have your vehicle returned to you in just a few hours. They are
a safe, high-tech weapon in the fight against car crime, sometimes
enabling the vehicle to be disabled at a safe distance and always
knowing where it is, allowing the Police to do the rest.
The simpler tracking devices require that you have to know when
your car has been stolen and the onus is on you to report it before
the tracker starts to do its job, by which time the car could be
some way away.
More sophisticated units sense when the vehicle is being tampered
with and automatically start the tracking device, which can be a
type that Police cars are equipped to find using radio technology,
or those that use GPS (Global Positioning System) technology to
locate the vehicle by linking to a central tracking centre.
Some devices include 'remote engine kill'. This switches off the
engine when the revs or speed drops below a certain point, safely
bringing the car to a halt at traffic lights or a junction. The
thief is prevented from re-starting the engine.
Tracking devices have led to numerous spectacular seizures by the
Police of multiple vehicles held in hidden lock-ups - hidden to
the eye but not to the tracking device.
If you have a high performance or high value luxury vehicle, a
tracking device - in addition to a conventional alarm system - is
highly recommended.
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