According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) and reported in the Insurance Journal, a decrease in car thefts is being seen all over the country. In the year 1991, car thefts were at their highest. Since then, they have been steadily decreasing with each year. Between the years 2003 and 2011, car thefts have dropped by 43 percent and were lower in 2013 than they had been since the 1960s.

With this good news comes bad, however. As it turns out, even though car thefts are decreasing, thieves are more frequently stealing parts off of newer vehicles. These thefts are costing are resulting in significant expenses for car owners, car rental companies, insurance companies, and dealerships around the country.

Thieves typically steal lucrative car parts such as tires and rims and then quickly resell them to dealerships or repair shops. They are getting away with this in one of two ways. First, thieves focus their efforts on newer cars parked in parking lots, neighborhoods, or dealer lots. Easy access to these cars enables them to quickly remove tires after jacking the car up. Additionally, thieves are able to shift the car into neutral after disabling the gear shift and move it off site where they can remove lucrative parts. Read the rest of this entry »

Burmese pythons are big, scary, and hungry. They are eating their way through the Florida Everglades, wreaking havoc as they go.

The reptiles are huge and require a lot of food. They are wiping out the native population of small mammals including rodents, rabbits, raccoons, deer, possums, and mink. The Everglades decades ago was an environment where these types of animals thrived.

The Burmese pythons have no natural predators, which means there are no animals that regularly hunt them down and kill them. They are left to breed, eat, and take over the Everglades.

Scientists Using GPS

Though not predators, scientists are taking up cudgels against the snakes. Davidson College has started an experiment to track marsh rabbits, using GPS tracking devices on collars. They released the rabbits into the Everglades and monitored how well they did. Read the rest of this entry »

The amount of cell phone use by US drivers has been a growing concern. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), 660,000 American drivers use their cell phones or manipulate other electronic devices while driving. This has been a steady number since 2010.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1,100 people are injured nine people are killed each day as a result of distracted driving.

Unfortunately, fleet drivers are among them. Fleet managers are undoubtedly concerned about their drivers’ safety and while driving, if the drivers are still using their phones to check in, GPS fleet trackers should be a considered an invaluable preventative safety tool. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever had something stolen? Perhaps something that was very valuable to you?

Wouldn’t it be great if you were able to catch the thief who stole from you and retrieve your belongings while having them arrested for their crime?

GPS tracking devices can help to do just this according to Coon Rapids police officers who claim they used this type of tracking device to find and locate the thieves who stole kegs from the Well Sports Tavern and Grill.

The tavern made a report stating that since November 2014, four of their kegs had been stolen. Therefore, police in an attempt to capture the suspect, set up a ‘bait keg’. Read the rest of this entry »

GPS data loggers are different from what most people think of as GPS tracking devices in that loggers do not record location in real time. They log location after the fact.

For individuals and businesses that do not need real time GPS information but want an accurate map of where vehicles have been, GPS loggers present an effective, affordable option.

What do GPS Loggers Do?

GPS loggers are incredibly useful tools for businesses that are trying to determine more efficient routes or want to check that employees are not taking detours from their assigned tasks during the day. They can record up to 30 days of GPS information that includes locations, speeds, and time of travel.

GPS loggers work on land, air, and sea and show you the location traveled on a Google map. They are also able to track anyone or anything – not just vehicles. Read the rest of this entry »