Hijacking is on the rise, becoming one of the most reported crimes in South Africa over the past year. According to recent statistics released by the South African Police Service, an estimated 16 325 cars were reported stolen over the past year, with 44 cars hijacked daily – meaning that every 32 minutes a car is hijacked in South Africa! Below we will look at the benefits of tracking apps in a high crime society.

These are terrifying statistics and means that it could happen to any one of us. The question is, how do we ensure that both ourselves and our families are best protected from becoming victims of such hijackings and vehicle theft?

The simple answer – technology! However, not just any technology. One needs to consider the types of technology that can really aid your safety protocol while on the road and one such technology is vehicle tracking apps.

Tracking apps have become beneficial to consumers as they offer convenient live vehicle tracking that puts you in the driver’s seat of your vehicle’s safety. These solutions also provide the most advanced stolen vehicle tracking and recovery technology on the market, designed to recover your vehicle in the unfortunate event of theft or hijacking. Today, these apps offer so much more when it comes to your personal safety while on the road.

Here are some critical ways in which a tracking app can keep you and your family safe while on the road – and help you avoid falling victim to carjacking.

• You will always know where your car is. With a best-in-class smartphone vehicle tracking app, you can view your vehicle’s location on a detailed map with pinpoint locations, select a street map view of your vehicle’s surroundings. During the unfortunate event of theft or hijacking, this feature allows your tracking company to pinpoint your vehicles exact location timely.
• Navigate to your car’s exact location. The GPS enabled smartphone vehicle tracking app links to your mobile phone’s navigation, allowing you to plan routes. This means your family will have full access to navigate the exact location of your vehicle and may also alert law officials, providing a sense of protection and peace of mind.
• Protect your car with GeoLoc Advanced Alert. You can enable and disable the GeoLoc Advanced Alert feature via a specific tracking app. You will receive an alert if your vehicle is moved from a specific location while this feature is enabled. GeoLoc Advanced Alert provides you with security in situations where your vehicle may be carjacked, unbeknownst to you, or if your vehicle’s battery is disconnected. An alert will be sent to your phone to notify you of this incident.
• Custom Geo-Fencing: Geo-fencing can be described as a virtual perimeter that you can draw around any location on a map. If you enter this location, you will receive notifications that your vehicle has entered the specified area. This system allows you to quickly and easily customise danger zones using the latest GPS pinpoint technology.
• Border alerts can help to protect you from vehicle loss and to ensure the safety of loved ones. This feature helps minimise the risk of vehicle theft and illegal cross-border exports. You will be notified should your vehicle approach a South African border. This will allow you to alert law officials of any unauthorised vehicle movements on your vehicle at a border.

Furthermore, it is crucial to your personal and family’s safety to be vigilant, aware of your surroundings and more informed about hijacking trends. Reports show five hijacking trends that are evident on the numerous carjacking’s reported:

1. Hijacking at fuel stations. A recent popular trend where the attacks usually take place early morning or late evening. Perpetrators will creep up from behind an unaware victim – usually with an open window – to hijack the vehicle.
2. Stranger danger hijacking. This is where drivers are usually followed from a public area/event and perpetrators will bump the car from behind, creating a ‘collision illusion’ to hijack the vehicle.
3. Blue light hijacking. An increasingly popular trend where many unmarked white vehicles with blue lights roam the streets pretending to be traffic officers on patrol.
4. Followed home hijacking. Perpetrators will usually follow consumers home from a shopping mall or public area and hijack the vehicle once consumers are about to enter their premises. Consumers need to constantly be aware of their surroundings and activities happening around them.
5. House robberies. Another trend is when perpetrators enter homes of consumers for a house robbery and they end up hijacking the car.

In today’s high crime society, it is critically important that you are well informed about the safety options available to you while on the road, as well as the benefits and opportunities offered by tracking devices and their associated apps.

These technologically advanced tracking apps provide assurance in that you can monitor and track your vehicle anywhere and at any time, from the palm of your hands. You have peace of mind knowing that your vehicle, and more importantly, your family, will have a better chance at being located quickly when you have a tracking app on your smartphone if an unfortunate event may occur.

Press Release supplied by Matrix