Yesterday, the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators (IAATI) and LoJack announced that the two entities would be joining forces to promote July as Vehicle Theft Prevention Month. As July is the top month in the U.S. for theft of autos and other vehicles, IAATI and LoJack will be collaborating to raise public awareness via a series of PSAs and social media promotions.
LoJack is focused on the stolen vehicle recovery market, which the company states as having been created over twenty five years ago. The company also states that since its formation, it has recovered nearly $4 billion in stolen assets, including cars, construction equipment, and motorcycles. The LoJack system utilizes a self-powered RF transceiver that, once installed in equipment or a vehicle that is reported as stolen, activates and emits a signal that local law enforcement can track.
According to statistics LoJack has provided from an FBI report, the number of auto theft crimes reported by law enforcement for the first six months of 2012 increased over figures from the same period in 2011. This fact has led LoJack and the IAATI to offer insight as to how vehicles are stolen and what happens after theft, such as sales of stolen vehicles for parts and exportation overseas.
Christopher McDonold, member and past President of IAATI, said, “By engaging consumers with informative and creative content, we hope to increase awareness around auto theft, which continues to be a significant problem throughout the United States. It is our goal to provide vehicle owners with tips and information that will help protect themselves, as well as their personal assets. This year, we are engaging drivers across multiple platforms, which we believe will increase our audience and therefore broaden the reach and more importantly the impact of our message.”
“This month – like every month – LoJack and IAATI are laser focused on educating every innocent driver about the importance of vehicle safety, which includes protecting your ‘family fleet’ from criminals and encouraging better, safer driving practices to decrease accidents on the road,” said Randy J. Ortiz, president and CEO of LoJack. “IAATI is comprised of some of the most experienced law enforcement officers in the world and we consider our relationship with them invaluable. We rely heavily on our relationship with IAATI to help identify auto theft trends to better protect our customers.”
For more information, visit www.lojack.com
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