adminwe realise the need to prioritise our health, right?
Most of us subscribe to medical aid every month, not because we get sick every month, but it’s a necessity to cover eventualities.
For instance, I need to be confident that when I fall pregnant someday I will be able to deliver my baby in a good hospital with all the medical bills being covered by my medical aid.
I also need to be sure that in the case of an emergency that requires a specialist I will be able to be attended to without paying a penny because I would have invested in medical aid.
My point is, there are certain things that are bare necessities for all motorists just like medical aid.
Insurance is one of them, a reliable service and maintenance provider is another, but this week my focus is on vehicle tracking.
The facts that I am going to present were supplied by my friend Martina Kutepa, the sales and marketing manager at Spytrack (Pvt) Ltd.
This company provides the latest technology in vehicle satellite tracking and anti-hijack systems and human trackers that, for instance, enable companies like Fawcett and Securico to track their guards to see who sleeps on duty.
I had never thought about the importance of such a service till recently when I had a chat with my uncle who works at the Interpol office in Harare.
To my horror, he told me about the statistics of vehicles which are being stolen on our streets which are on the rise.
There are other scenarios where it is also handy, like the abuse of fleet vehicles by employees.
This one time I saw a pharmacy vehicle being used to ferry maize from a field. Imagine what sort of behaviour is that.
Imagine cases that we read or hear about of long-distance truck drivers making unsanctioned stops to steal and offload goods or even sell diesel.
These situations can be contained though the use of tracking devices as the perpetrator’s every move is caught on camera and the GPS points exactly where they are.
The new state-of-the-art GPS technology that is available locates the exact position of your vehicle, the speed at which it’s travelling, its odometer reading, the fuel level reading, photos of the driver and others in the car.
In addition, it also indicates the direction and the exact street name that the vehicle is on while supporting several remote functions such as speed limit set-up, remote engine shut-down, geo-fencing, mileage alarm for car service, emergency panic button, reporting of security and operational anomalies.
The data is replayed to you real-time once you log on to the Spytrack website.
There are so many benefits to having this system installed in your vehicle or even human tracking for those with mentally challenged family members in your care or even children.
Such a system can be very handy for those companies that have a large sales teams, as it will help verify existing and new sales calls from your teams.
Added to this is the saving that they will make from not paying for mileage or fuel for unproductive or employees running personnel errands on company time.
It will also help to actively monitor the time per stop or call. A good service manager will know exactly how long a quality service call or delivery will take.
By watching the reported time, companies can determine whether the employee is spending too much, “unproductive time”, or less “valuable” time with customers and clients.
This results in fewer customer cancellations, allowances, returned goods and an increase in sales.
When vehicle owners sign up for the security package, they are assured of restful sleep knowing that you will be alerted if their vehicle is stolen and that it will be recovered in record time.
Perhaps one of the most important and emotional reasons to have a GPS vehicle tracking system installed in your car is the panic button.
This button is used in cases of emergency. This can include everything from a fender bender to a carjacking, whatever the reason, when this button is pushed an operator will timely notify the relevant authorities of an impending threat and you will be assisted.
This button is also handy when your car develops a mechanical fault, or breaks down completely leaving you stranded in the middle of nowhere.
One will have the peace of mind of knowing that help is on the way. For most parents this device offers them the opportunity to call and check up on the exact whereabouts of a car that is being driven by a child without directly interfering with their plans.
However, the most important reason to have a GPS vehicle tracking system is to be able to track and recover a vehicle when it is stolen.
If you ever become a victim of vehicle theft and are lucky enough to have a GPS system installed all you will need to do is to inform your GPS carrier of the theft.
They can track the car’s exact location and its speed, when the vehicle has been located they will call police to recover it for you.
I had first-hand experience on how the device works when I visited the Spytrack offices and I was shown how a car is shut down at the push of a button from a remote location.
So imagine that surprise that a thief driving down the highway in a stolen car will have when suddenly the engine stalls in the middle of the road, the doors lock themselves and the next thing he has his picture taken.
The advantages of having a GPS vehicle tracking system installed are numerous, but beware of what you are paying for before you sign on the dotted line.
Find out exactly what options your plan covers and what the monthly service fee is. Make sure that someone who is licensed to do so is installing your system.
If you are looking at buying this service there are a few service providers in Zimbabwe at the moment or you can visit www.spytrack.co.zw for more information.
Till next week.
l Fact D. Jeke is a motoring enthusiast who has attended auto shows, rallies and has written for various publications in the region for the last decade. She can be contacted via email on [email protected] or Torque with Fact Jeke on Facebook.
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