As the winter and holiday season approaches, LoJack Corporation has released tips for vehicle owners in order to protect valuable assets and promote safety this season. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau(NICB), New Year's Day is the second most popular holiday for vehicle thefts, with a reported 2,011 cars stolen on that day in 2014. New Year's Eve and Christmas Eve are not far behind on the list of holiday crime with 1,858 and 1,750 vehicle thefts, respectively in 2014.
"The stress of the holiday season is often enough to distract vehicle owners from taking the appropriate safety measures during a time when thieves are known to be on the prowl," said Patrick Clancy, Vice President of LoJack Law Enforcement. "In recent years, vehicle theft has become much more sophisticated and we're dealing with even more challenges in protecting assets. As such, it is even more imperative that vehicle owners be smart and focus on the basics. Following these best practices can help to ensure a peaceful, happy holiday season and New Year."
To protect valuable assets and remain vigilant against advanced theft techniques, LoJack recommends the following best practices:
- Be a secretive Santa: Conceal any valuables – including holiday gifts and gadgets – by stowing them in your trunk. Remember to lock your car, and be aware that gifts stored in your vehicle often give thieves additional motive to break in.
- Turn off the sleigh: People love a warm car, and so do thieves – so don't leave a running vehicle unattended, even for a few minutes. Make sure to turn your car off and remove your keys at all times, even if it's just a quick trip back inside the house.
- May your parking spots shine like a festival of lights: Park your car in a safe, well-lit area that gets plenty of foot traffic. You may be visiting family or attending a holiday party, but it's important to park your vehicle in a safe place as to avoid becoming a target for opportunistic thieves.
- Peace on earth, specifically in your driveway: Using a stolen vehicle recovery system will provide peace-of-mind knowing that your vehicle can be recovered in case of theft. A LoJack® Stolen Vehicle Recovery System can help police track stolen vehicles, and cars, trucks and SUVs equipped with the LoJack System are recovered over 90 percent of the time.
How the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System Works
The LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System offers the technology and recovery process that makes it an effective system for recovering stolen vehicles. Based on Radio Frequency technology, the system delivers strong signals that do not require line of sight with satellites or cell towers and can therefore track vehicles where other devices can't, such as in a steel container on a ship, in a parking garage or in dense foliage. When owners report their vehicles stolen to law enforcement, law enforcement can log the theft in national crime computers, which then can send out signals from towers to activate the LoJack® System. The LoJack System is directly integrated with law enforcement agencies around the country, which use LoJack® Police Tracking Computers to find and recover stolen vehicles. The LoJack System has a 90% recovery rate on cars, trucks and SUVs. LoJack unit activation is contingent upon the vehicle being located within LoJack's coverage area that spans counties across 29 states throughout the US. See lojack.com/coverage or call 1-800-4-LoJack. Lastly, the system utilizes a small wireless Radio Frequency transceiver—that is covert, making it difficult for thieves to find and disengage the system.
About LoJack Corporation
LoJack Corporation, the company that has helped more than nine million people protect their vehicles in the event of theft over the past 25+ years, today provides safety, security and protection for an ever-growing range of valuable assets and people. Leveraging its core strengths, including its well-known brand, direct integration with law enforcement and dealer distribution network, LoJack Corporation is expanding our business to include our traditional vehicle and equipment theft recovery, people at risk and new telematics based products and services. LoJack is delivering new telematics-based solutions for on-road and off-road fleet management, as well as, dealer inventory management. By expanding our brand beyond stolen vehicle recovery, LoJack Corporation is committed to creating a new level of value for its dealer, licensee, customer and investor communities by delivering innovative offerings and multiple technologies in expanding geographies.