Each year, the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) compiles a report about motor vehicle theft statistics. This information is detailed by locale, so it’s easy to identify hotspot locations that suffer from the greatest number of auto thefts. Car owners need to remain vigilant about their cars to ensure they don’t become a victim of vehicular theft.

On July 12, 2018, the NICB released the 2017 annual theft Hot Spots Report. The 2017’s Top Ten Car Theft Hot Spots are as follows:

1. Albuquerque, New Mexico (9,989 motor vehicle thefts)
2. Anchorage, Alaska (3,274)
3. Pueblo, Colorado (1,353)
4. Redding, California (1,352)
5. St. Joseph, Missouri (952)
6. Bakersfield, California (6,560)
7. Modesto, California (3,870)
8. Stockton-Lodi, California (4,575)
9. Yuba City, California (1,050)
10. Springfield, Missouri (2,686)

Insights from the 2017 Report

All data compiled is population-based, so the areas with fewer car thefts that rank higher on the list also have a smaller population. Both St. Joseph and Springfield, Missouri, are new to the top ten hot spot list this year.

Albuquerque, New Mexico, has maintained the top spot for the second year in a row. Five of the top ten hot spots are in the state of California. This newest data from 2017 indicates an overall drop in the prevalence of vehicle theft which has been decreasing since 1991.

Proactive Measures to Prevent Car Theft

The NICB attributes much of the reduction to an increase in the use of safety tips and security devices that prevent theft. The agency believes vehicular theft could be drastically reduced if more vehicle owners took heed of safety advice.

One significant advancement has been the introduction of “smart keys” that prevent drivers from leaving their keys inside the vehicle. It also deters drivers from leaving their car running, but these efforts are only relevant when the car driver practices mindfulness about their keys.

Another important measure that can help protect your vehicle is a GPS car tracking device / GPS vehicle tracker. While a GPS tracker won’t stop an ongoing theft, it can assist authorities in promptly locating your vehicle in the event it is stolen.

If you interested in getting a GPS tracking device for your vehicle, take a look at our GPS tracking product line, and give us a call here at LiveViewGPS if you have any questions on which one would best suit your needs. 1-888-544-0494

Sunroom installment companies are responsible for a lot of moving parts. Not only do you need to worry about making sure the needs of your customers are met in timely and predictable manners, but there are many tools, pieces of equipment, building products, fleet vehicles and employees to keep up with. This is where GPS tracking for sunroom installment companies is invaluable, offering the following benefits to your sunroom installation business.

Verify that Proper Tools, Equipment, and Supplies are Loaded onto Trucks

There are few things more frustrating and costly to sunroom installation companies than time lost driving back and forth to retrieve missing tools, locate missing equipment, or replace wrongly loaded supplies for the installation project. You can use barcode scanning and GPS tracking to quickly locate items needed for the jobs you’re set to perform each day and to ensure the right items get loaded onto the appropriate trucks.

Track and Monitor Essential Tools

You’ve probably experienced costly tools riding off in the wrong truck or going home with your employees more than once or twice. Even if the tool taking was unintentional (and often it is, riding home on belt loops or in pockets where they were placed during the course of the workday), they often fail to make it back and wind up forgotten in employee’s homes, trucks, etc. GPS tracking for expensive tools can ensure that you can locate the tools quickly, so they can be recovered when these accidents happen.

Ensure Drivers are Sticking to Prescribed Routes

There have been several news stories in the past years about employees taking advantage of employers to run personal errands, take naps, and even enjoy extended lunch breaks while on the clock. GPS tracking lets you know your employees are where they are supposed to be so that you can be confident that you’re getting the value you expect for the money you’re paying them.

Optimize Routes for Fuel and Labor Efficiency

In your line of work, while tools and equipment may be costly, labor and fuel are among your biggest continuous expenses. GPS fleet tracking for your sunroom installation trucks allows you to plan routes that maximize the efficiency of your fuel and your crew allowing you to get more rooms installed in less time.

Do you own or manage a sunroom installation company with a fleet of trucks? If so, give us a call at LiveViewGPS at 1-888-544-0494 to learn more about our GPS fleet tracking solutions and how they can benefit your company.

In American culture, many consider obtaining a driver’s license a rite of passage. Unfortunately, it has also led to thousands of teen deaths each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), among the teen 16 through 19-year-old population, motor-vehicle accidents still remain the main cause of death.

Teens aged 15 through 19 years old were responsible for nearly 11 percent of all motor-vehicle injury costs, the CDC said — not including costs like:

• Insurance premiums
• Auto maintenance
• Potential traffic citations

And, these types of costs can pile up with time.

WalletHub performed an analysis of the teen-driving environment in all 50 states. They used 23 different key metrics to come up with their findings. Here are some of the findings:

Each item is per teen population

The Graduated Driver License program, implemented by Texas in 2002 for example, provides new drivers the opportunity to enhance their driving skills in lower-risk environments over time.

New drivers are not allowed to drive a motor vehicle:

• If they have more than one non-family member passenger under 21 years old in their vehicle.
• Between the hours of midnight and 5 am unless they’re participating or attending a school-related activity, are required to drive the vehicle for their work or its due to a medical emergency.

Those under the age of 18 are not allowed to use a wireless communication device until they are at least 18 years old. This includes a hands-free device. The only exception is if there’s an emergency.

Office Sgt. Dub Gillum of the Texas Department of Public Safety Public Information said teen drivers are involved in motor vehicle crashes due to several factors including a lack of driving experience and distracted driving.

To tackles some of these issues that teen drivers face, he says teens should practice their driving with their parents so they gain experience. Not only this, but parents can then correct their teen’s driving errors before they turn into poor driving behaviors. Both parents and teen need to learn driving laws and concentrate on driving skills no matter what city, county and state they live in.

Driving can be daunting for the new, inexperienced teen driver, but with the right tips and advice, it doesn’t have to be.

What Parents Can Do to Help Their Teen Drivers

Some things you can do as a parent are:

• Get to know the GDL law and be aware of the restrictions placed on your teenager’s license
• Ensure your teen uses a seat belt all the time
• Discuss the dangers of alcohol and drug use while driving and that it’s illegal and deadly
• Don’t rely on a driver’s education course only to teach your teenager how to drive — these classes are only one part of the GDL system
• Ensure you’re a good role model. Drive safely yourself and practice good driving behaviors
• Implement GPS tracking for teens to monitor your teen’s driving behavior like hard braking, driving speed and aggressive driving. You’ll also want to use the GPS teen tracking system to set boundaries, so you’ll know if your teen goes out of them

While teenagers are responsible for their own driving behaviors, as a parent, you’re going to shoulder much of the financial and emotional consequences when things go wrong.  Setting up some ground rules before your teen gets behind the wheel can help.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/teen_drivers/teendrivers_factsheet.html
http://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/news/wallethub-texas-no-best-state-for-teen-drivers/article_fbb2ee10-7016-11e8-a20c-afb675f48e3b.html
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-for-teen-drivers/4598/