Top Vehicle Theft Cities Span the U.S.
If you want to avoid car theft, stay out of the city. Or get a good vehicle tracking device.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) released its annual list of cities with the highest incidence of vehicle theft. Oddly enough, you have an equal chance of coming up car-less whether you live on the East Coast, West Coast or in the Midwest.
2008 Cities with the Highest Incidence of Auto Theft
1. Los Angeles, CA, 68,901
2. Chicago, IL, 36,513
3. New York/ Long Island, NY, 35,509
4. San Francisco, CA, 30,735
5. Miami, FL, 29,362
6. Detroit, MI, 28,765
7. Dallas, TX, 28,539
8. Atlanta, GA, 26,421
9. Houston, TX, 26,227
10. Phoenix, AZ, 25,794
A vehicle is stolen about every 20 minutes in the United States. The odds are highest in urban areas.
Why do big metropolitan areas have more thefts? It’s not simply a matter of population density. Thieves like to steal cars and trucks when there are many to choose from, and there is a good chance the crime will not be detected until after the bad guy has made a clean getaway. People who don’t have a vehicle tracking device or some other form of theft prevention might want to avoid extended-stay parking areas such as apartment complexes, commuter parking garages, and sporting events, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Many vehicles today come straight from the factory with some built-in security measures. However, police authorities recommend that drivers use layers of protection, which means more than one anti-theft device. For instance, always lock your doors, windows and sun roof; use a steering wheel or brake pedal locking device, and install a vehicle tracking system. The most stolen vehicle models are the Dodge Caravan, Ford F150 truck, Toyota Camry, the Honda Civic and the Honda Accord.
There is a wide range of anti-theft products for the car or truck. Some are as inexpensive as $20. On the low end, buy an engraver and etch the vehicle identification number (VIN) on important parts of the vehicle. This way, you make those parts unappealing to chop shops. Custom-designed alarm systems will fall in along the high end. They can cost up to $1,000.
One of the most practical solutions is an electronic vehicle tracking device. Many insurance companies offer discounts for anti-theft devices such as vehicle tracking products. Vehicle tracking systems have an excellent track record of stolen vehicle recovery. Within minutes of the crime, the car owner could learn the exact location of his stolen vehicle. Within hours, thanks to vehicle tracking, that mobile asset could be back in the owner’s driveway.
There are two kinds of vehicle tracking systems. There are vehicle tracking devices that use radio signals; and vehicle tracking units that use a combination of Global Positioning System (GPS) and wireless cell networks for vehicle tracking.
Some vehicle tracking systems remain idle most of the time and are activated when the owner discovers and reports that his vehicle is stolen. One vehicle tracking system is a radio frequency transmitter that will send out an inaudible, specially-coded signal that is picked up by police. Each vehicle tracking transmitter has a unique code, tied to the VIN number. Police perform vehicle tracking and recovery using special equipment.
Other vehicle tracking systems are GPS-based. Some are designed for continuous vehicle tracking and some only find the vehicle’s location when the user calls for the vehicle tracking service. The vehicle tracking receiver in the car or truck captures signals transmitted by orbiting satellites. Using GPS coordinates, the exact location of the vehicle is determined and that data is transmitted by wireless network to a remote computer. This is extremely accurate vehicle tracking. Usually the vehicle’s path, location and direction are good, within feet.
New updates of position are taken every few seconds or minutes, so the vehicle owner or the law authorities can follow the stolen vehicle along on a map, almost as it happens. This is called real-time vehicle tracking.
Another reason to use a real-time vehicle tracking system to protect a stolen vehicle is for its geo-fencing feature. Many owners of boats and other recreational vehicles put vehicle tracking units on those objects, then program in a geographic zone or virtual fence, beyond which that asset is not to travel. If it does, the owner of the vehicle tracking device gets an email or text alert. He or she would be notified the minute that object is on the move. This can be a valuable vehicle tracking feature, for instance, when a boat or snowmobile is possibly being stolen out of off-season storage.
Real-time vehicle tracking units cost as little as several hundred dollars. Often, vehicle tracking systems run off batteries or can run off the vehicle’s main 12V power supply. The wireless service that runs with the GPS tracking system includes an activation fee, a monthly service fee, and sometimes an annual contract.
With just one stolen vehicle recovery, the owner of a vehicle tracking system will experience total return on investment. Even without incident, a vehicle tracking device brings immeasurable peace of mind that it will be there if needed.
Related posts:
Tags: Auto Theft, GPS Tracking, Top Cities
Related posts: