ANTITHEFT * USA - Better Technology, but Smarter Car Thieves

Tracking systems with GPS can pinpoint any vehicle and direct the authorities straight to the crooks

New York,NY,USA -The New York Times, by JOHN R. QUAIN -July 8, 2010: -- Based on the advertisements, it would seem that technology has made it impossible — or at least stunningly foolhardy — to steal a car. Tracking systems with GPS can pinpoint any vehicle and direct the authorities straight to the crooks. But while the technology may be getting better, professional car thieves have stepped up their game, too, meaning that some tracking systems may be better than others... The car theft rate has steadily declined for five years. The F.B.I. recorded a drop of nearly 17 percent in 2009 compared with 2008. But auto theft remains a costly crime: the F.B.I. estimates that more than $6.4 billion was lost in motor vehicle thefts in 2008, the most recent numbers available. More important, knowing that fewer cars are stolen today than a decade ago is not much consolation if yours is one of those taken — one every 33 seconds, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau... While law enforcement officials and car security experts couldn’t directly attribute the drop in thefts to the use of tracking technology, most agreed that it has had an effect. And all concurred that if you want to improve the chances of recovering your wheels once they’ve gone missing, these systems are a necessity... Consequently, competitors like LoJack, Escort and Blackline GPS try to take a different approach and conceal their tracking devices... (Photo - KEEPING TRACK: Control center for OnStar, one of several services that help to recover stolen cars)