CAR SECURITY
Keeping
you,
and your car, SAFE
Even though instances of carjacking have
been reduced by 37.6% over the last 4 years*,
it remains a far too common crime on local
roads. We look at some of the technology
available to car owners to help with vehicle
recovery and theft deterrent.
1. Tracking your car from up high
Stolen vehicle recovery systems have been tried and tested locally.
Companies such as Altech Netstar, Cartrack, and Tracker fit vehicles with
difficult-to-detect devices that allows them to trace hijacked vehicles,
working with the SAPS to recover stolen cars. Some solutions even have
the ability to remotely kill the ignition, shutting the engine off completely
so that its criminal occupants can be more easily arrested.
The pricing for these solutions usually work on a once-off cash price
basis, with users paying a monthly subscription for the trace and
recovery services. Customers can also sign a contract to have the device
installation done for free, but then pay a higher monthly subscription over
the duration of the service contract.
2. Making identi?cation easier via Micro Dot technology
Micro Dot or Micro Tag technology does not prevent hijackings, but does
make it substantially easier to identify a car or parts thereof as stolen. It
sees a unique number on the Micro Tag being associated with a registered
car owner. The number is kept in the database of the company offering the
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Micro Dot service (such as Recoveri), but is circulated globally to ensure
that the car and all its parts can be easily identified as stolen property
should your car cross the border or end up in a chopshop.
These Micro Tags are virtually impossible to remove without damaging
the components on which they have been placed, with tens of thousands
of dots spanning the length and breadth of your car.
3. Curtailing smash and grab occurrences
Besides hijacking and car theft, South African motorists also have to
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