News

Revisiting vehicle tracking devices

31 January, 2012

When taking out an insurance policy for your personal motor vehicle or business fleet, a stipulated requirement is that a tracking device needs to be fitted.

Are these systems effective when it comes to recovering vehicles?

On January 30 2012, The Star newspaper published a front-page story providing eye-opening details on vehicle theft. Journalist Candice Bailey reported on a case where thieves stole a Toyota RunX outside a Johannesburg complex block in the early morning. Her article suggests that during the course of 2012 an estimated 60 000 cars will be stolen.

Of these only a low percentage will be recovered and returned to their owners.

Heading up Etana’s Motor division, in Etana’s Commercial and Industrial team, industry expert Tania Steinkopf believes that further enhancements need to be devised on tracking units.

“Although tracking has helped reduce the number of stolen vehicles, its effectiveness comes into question due to thieves being able to locate and remove devices before the car is found.

“One of the ways to overcome this hurdle is to build the tracking device into the vehicle chassis, making it far more difficult for thieves to find and remove. Remember in the 1980s and 1990s when car radios were on the top of thieves’ shopping lists? The trend decreased when vehicle manufacturers built radio systems into the dashboard of cars.”

Read the full article in The Star