Gone are the days when cars were considered a luxury. In 2022, 34% of households in Great Britain and England owned two or more cars, whereas 45% had one car. This has led to a fall in the number of households without a car to 22% in 2022 from 48% in 1971.
Indeed, buying a new car represents a sense of empowerment and independence. For many, it symbolises progress or achievement. Besides the excitement and pride, car owners have to protect cars against theft, accidents, and fraud.
As the volume of vehicles on the road rises, the likelihood of accidents and thefts also increases. Consequently, individuals must take proactive measures to safeguard their valuable assets. While insurance can cover repair expenses and maintenance, it cannot assure complete protection and recovery of vehicles.
Nevertheless, innovative solutions in the automotive space, like a vehicle tracking device, protect your car and mitigate risks. It helps to keep a close watch on your car and driver to know they are always safe and sound.
What is a Vehicle Tracking Device?
A vehicle tracking system is a small device that uses GPS (Global Positioning System) to track your car in real-time. Knowing where your car is at any time of day gives you peace of mind that it is safe.
Besides real-time location, a vehicle tracking system provides vehicle data such as engine health, fuel consumption, speed, and more. The tracking device transmits data through a central monitoring system to your desktop or mobile phone, allowing you to monitor your car’s whereabouts remotely.
Why Should Individuals Use a Vehicle Tracking Device?
Car owners can use these devices for various purposes, including theft recovery and monitoring driving behaviour, ensuring authorised use of vehicles. Let’s understand how vehicle tracking devices benefit individuals with personal cars.
Real-time Tracking
Car owners can track the location of their vehicles in real-time. You can easily understand where your car is and monitor its movements on your mobile app. So, if you’re travelling somewhere, you can easily view the whereabouts of your car. If your spouse or children are using the car but haven’t returned, you can simply check the vehicle’s location on your phone.
Theft Protection
One significant benefit of using vehicle tracking software is protection against theft. The vehicle immobilisation feature asks the driver for authorization to start the engine. Since a thief has no authorised access to start the engine, the tracking device notifies the owner and stops the engine from starting.
But if the thief is successful in bypassing the vehicle immobilisation and steals the car, you can still recover it. You can track the location of the vehicle, share details with police authorities, and recover it as fast as possible.
Geofence Feature
This feature helps with theft prevention. Geofence basically allows you to set a digital perimeter around a specific location on the map. If the car goes beyond the geofenced area, you’ll instantly get alerts. If you have set a geofence around your house, the tracker will notify you as soon as the thief tries to steal your car and leaves your house parking lot. So you can catch them quickly before they get away and take your car back. Plus, the number of locations you can add for a geofence is not limited.
Responsible Driving Habits
How you drive your car affects its functioning. Lousy driving results in collisions and accidents, putting your vehicle and passengers at risk. But thanks to a vehicle tracking device, you can monitor how anyone is driving your car. The tracker notifies in real-time if the driver is overspeeding, cornering, hard braking, etc., or with poor driving skills.
You can get in touch with the driver and ask them to drive responsibly to avoid adverse consequences. This is beneficial if you have a teen kid–they are excited to drive on roads. With vehicle trackers, you can see where they are travelling and check their driving habits. It will also notify parents when something unusual takes place, such as unwanted stops or route changes.
Vehicle Maintenance
Undoubtedly, a well-maintained vehicle reduces breakdowns. However, keeping track of maintenance schedules manually is a forgetful task. This is where vehicle tracking devices can be of great help. These trackers collect data on overall vehicle performance and send automated maintenance alerts, reminding you of your next maintenance.
It ensures that maintenance is performed properly and that vehicles are kept in good condition. The tracker also notifies you if a minor malfunction occurs so you can get it repaired before it becomes a bigger problem. Well-maintained vehicles are fuel-efficient, boost vehicle longevity, and reduce maintenance expenses.
Summing Up
If you think you need technical knowledge to install and operate a vehicle tracking device, you’re mistaken. Vehicle trackers are easy to install without any technical knowledge–plug and play. The centralised software is intuitive, with easy-to-understand information and graphics.
At the end of the day, it is your responsibility to keep your car safe and protected.
You cannot control criminals and crimes–likewise, you cannot ignore vehicle security. Vehicle tracking systems can mitigate the actions of bad actors, avoid uncertainties, and ensure effortless management of car security.