If anyone has ever had their vehicle stolen, it is never very pleasant. Every year in France only, tens of thousands of vehicles are stolen. Whether they are cars or two-wheelers like motorcycles or scooters, every type of vehicle is targeted. In 2019, there were more than 130,000 car and two-wheeler thefts… Though the figures have dropped slightly in 2020, mainly due to the pandemic and the various confinements, nearly 120,000 vehicle thefts still took place last year. That’s quite a lot!
The right actions you can take to limit the risk of getting your vehicle stolen #
Here is what you should do in this type of situation:
- First and foremost, before buying a vehicle, it is important to know which models are the most stolen or at risk. In France for example, according to the latest Auto Plus survey, Citroën DS models (DS7 Crossback, DS3, DS5), some Renault models (Mégane RS, Clio 4, Mégane 4) but also the Smart Fortwo and the BMW X6 rank first in the list of most stolen cars in 2020.
- If you already own a vehicle: Various anti-theft solutions are available (closed parking and video surveillance wherever possible, steering wheel locks or handbrake locks…). Taking these measures means you won’t have to sleep with one eye open.
However, there is no such thing as zero risk! These methods won’t guarantee you 100% that your vehicle will never be stolen. If it should ever happen, a final preventive solution is to insert an Invoxia GPS Tracker. This will allow you to be alerted in real time in case of attempted theft and track the vehicle’s movement, regardless of the distance. Next, transmitting this tracking information to law enforcement agencies helps them intervene more quickly. It also simplifies their search, in order to maximize the chances of recovering your car.
This is exactly the scenario that occurred to today’s witness. As a precaution, he had installed various anti-theft systems inside his car, which turned out to be less effective than he might have expected: He woke up one morning to find his car stolen. Fortunately, he was able to find it thanks to his GPS tracker. Here is what he had to say!
Hello, thank you for taking the time to answer us! What made you want to share your story with us? #
Not too long ago my car got stolen and was recovered thanks to the Invoxia GPS Tracker. One morning, I woke up to go to work and noticed that my cell phone had a notification on it from the Invoxia GPS application. It said that my vehicle had changed its position.
What was your reaction when you realized your vehicle was stolen? #
I couldn’t believe my eyes and was in shock when I saw what was happening. All the more so because my vehicle was in a private parking lot with an electric gate. It was equipped with a steering wheel block with alarm, anti-theft handbrake, and gearbox, as well as a GPS tracker! The thieves managed to disable the electric gate motor to open it manually. Then, they stayed about 3h45min on the spot to try and steal the vehicle (according to the GPS tracker data). Result: a broken window, a cut steering wheel to remove the steering wheel block, and I do not know how they managed to remove the other anti-theft device…
How stressful that must have been! What did you do next? #
I immediately called my father-in-law, who had a view over the parking lot (closed by an electric gate) and could see if my car was still there. He told me that it was no longer there…. So I called the police who put me in touch with the Street Crime Police. I was able to give them the vehicle’s details and GPS tracker information.
That was the right move! In case of vehicle theft, we actually recommend that our users transmit their tracker data to the police to help them with their search. What did they tell you afterwards? #
The Street Crime Police asked me to wait for the vehicle to change position before contacting them again, but I did not wait. I contacted my little brother and sent him the GPS tracker information so that he could go to the scene. He called me back a little later and said he found my car! So I went to the location and called the police to meet me there.
Was your vehicle difficult to locate? #
I don’t know, but the vehicle was a few miles from my home. In an underground parking lot, on the -2 level of the building.
Anything else to share with our readers? #
A car theft can happen to anyone: if thieves are motivated enough, they will steal it, no matter what the circumstances are. But thanks to your GPS tracker, you do have a chance of finding it, but also of giving law enforcement a chance to find the thieves, and finally put an end to these thefts.
As you know: prevention is better than cure. But when prevention is not enough to avoid car theft, it is still possible to find it thanks to Invoxia’s GPS Tracker! A big thank you to our eye witness for this captivating story!
Have you had a similar experience with one of our GPS trackers? Do you want to share an original story with us? Tell us your story by writing us at: marketingteam@invoxia.com or on one of our social networks.
Also read about the best places to hide your tracker!