Car
theft is one of the most common crimes in the United States, with
almost 700,000 vehicles stolen in 2013, and a very small percentage
of them being recovered. According to the Insurance Information Institute, less than 12 percent of all car theft cases that occurred
last year were solved. Given that law enforcement rarely manages to
recover stolen vehicles, many car owners buy various anti-theft
devices to protect their cars and prevent a theft before it's too
late, but none of those devices that are currently offered on the
market, such as mechanical and electronic immobilizers, or alarms,
are usually not very convenient and are often complicated to use.

This
is exactly what an innovative solution coming from a company based in
Africa - where car theft is also a huge problem - addresses, as
it only involves installing a tracking device in your car and sending
a text message in case the car gets stolen. "Sunshine Tracking",
a car security company with headquarters in Nairobi - the capital
of Kenya, has created a relatively simple system, that although does
not prevent thieves from stealing cars, is very effective in helping
the police locate stolen cars and recover them, and track down the
criminals. Kelvin
Macharia Kuria,
the founder of the company, developed this product that consists of a
tracking device installed somewhere under the car's dashboard, and
relies on CCTV and GPS to track the car, which is employed in other
similar anti-theft systems, but the fact that Sunrise Tracking's
system is connected to the car owner's mobile phone and can be
controlled remotely is what sets it apart from the competition.
The
way this system works is pretty straightforward:
- if the device's
sensors detect a car break-in, they alert the car's owner by sending a
message to their phone.
- Once the car starts moving, the device
transmits its coordinates at all times, not only to the owner's
phone, but to the security company's control center, as well.
- After
receiving the alert, the owner can immobilize the vehicle by sending
an SMS to the device hidden in the car, containing a specific code
word, commanding the device to cut the vehicle's acceleration
function, eventually bringing the car to a complete stop.
- The owner
then calls the police and lets them know where the car is currently
and where it is headed, helping them to the car as fast as possible.
Then, the car can be mobilized again through a resume command from
the owner's phone.
Sunshine
Tracking also provides a fleet management system, which companies can
use to track their vehicles and know where they are at all times and
which routes their drivers are taking, even if they don't get robbed or lose the car keys. On top of helping law
enforcement recover stolen vehicles, this system may well help reduce
other crimes, as well, since it will allow police to find the places
where car thieves try to hide after abandoning a stolen vehicle more
easily, thus making more arrests and taking more criminals off the
street, which in places like Kenya, but also in the developed
countries, is always more than welcomed.
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