With vehicle theft reaching high levels in the UK, it is imperative that business owners ensure their vehicles are safe from theft and, if stolen, can easily be traced and retrieved. Vehicle theft leads to financial losses, business disruption and unnecessary inconvenience.
Using a high-quality vehicle tracker ensures your fleet vehicles are safe from theft. If someone steals the vehicle, you can use the car tracker to help police track or retrieve it.
It’s important to remember that many UK insurance companies will not offer you insurance coverage if you do not have an insurance-approved vehicle tracker installed. Installing an industry-approved car tracker also helps reduce your insurance premiums.
In this article, we will look at what an insurance-approved tracking device is, its benefits, and how choosing one of Crystal Ball’s high-quality, insurance-approved vehicle trackers will benefit your fleet and boost vehicle safety.
Why Insurance-Approved Trackers?
There are several reasons why insurance companies want vehicles to have industry-approved car trackers installed:
- Trackers deter theft: Vehicles fitted with trackers are less prone to be broken into and stolen.
- Helps to track and recover stolen vehicles: Car trackers use GPS-location technology and allow the real-time tracking of vehicles. If stolen, authorities use this GPS data to locate and recover your vehicle.
- Helps reduce insurance instalments: Installing an insurance-approved vehicle tracker shows your insurance company that you are proactive about vehicle safety. Many insurance companies may specify in their service contracts that you can install an industry-compliant car tracker to qualify for reduced monthly insurance premiums.
Thatcham is the leading independent vehicle research and testing organisation in the UK. The organisation rigorously tests vehicle trackers to ensure they adhere to the highest industry standards.
Installing Thatcham insurance-approved car trackers in your fleet vehicles assures you that the device is of high quality and delivers on its promises. To qualify for lower insurance premiums, your insurance provider will require that you have a Thatcham-approved tracker installed.
Thatcham Trackers vs Fleet Trackers
It’s important to state that both Thatcham trackers and insurance-approved fleet trackers can help you save money on insurance premiums, but they have slightly different purposes.
Thatcham trackers are designed for personal use in high-value vehicles such as sportscars, motorhomes, and campervans. These are a great way to protect personal property and give you peace of mind.
Vehicle fleet trackers are designed for commercial fleets of many vehicles such as cars, vans, or trucks. These have more features intended for fleet management and optimisation purposes, such as geofencing and data analytics.
While today we’re mostly talking about Thatcham trackers, there is certainly overlap in the features and benefits of the two vehicle tracking solutions.
Essential Features of an Insurance-Approved Tracker
Ensure your industry-approved vehicle tracking device has the following essential features:
Real-Time GPS Tracking
Vehicle tracking devices should feature real-time GPS tracking to help track and locate a stolen vehicle. A GPS car tracker continuously communicates with a central control centre to provide real-time updates of its location.
24/7 Monitoring
The car tracker should also be monitored on a 24/7 basis by a professional monitoring centre. If continuously monitored, authorities can immediately respond if the vehicle is illegally accessed or stolen.
Driver ID Tags
This automatic driver recognition system prevents unauthorised access and use of your fleet vehicles.
If a vehicle is accessed or started without a driver ID tag, the tracking device sends an alert to the monitoring centre. Your tracking company can then immediately immobilise or track the stolen car.
Immobilisation Features
Many car tracking devices allow you to immobilise a stolen car remotely.
Fleet managers can go online or use a mobile app to remotely lock down the vehicle to prevent it from getting stolen. If stolen, this functionality allows the vehicle to be immobilised the next time the engine switches off.
Compliance with Data Protection Laws
Insurance-approved car trackers adhere to UK data protection and GPS tracking laws.
The UK follows the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) guidelines, which guide the processing and storing of collected data. Also, ensure that your chosen car tracker adheres to the Data Protection Act, which follows GDPR guidelines and regulates the collection of personal data in the UK.
Additional Features
There are some more handy features that you can look out for that provide additional vehicle security and peace of mind. These include:
- Geofencing alerts: Creates a virtual parameter around which fleet vehicles are allowed to operate. Fleet managers get notified if a fleet vehicle travels outside these designated zones.
- Tamper alerts: This prevents any tampering with vehicle tracking devices. A fleet manager receives an alert if a driver disconnects or tampers with the business’s tracking unit.
Benefits of Using Crystal Ball’s Insurance-Approved Trackers
Installing Crystal Ball’s range of car trackers holds a variety of benefits. These include:
- Real-time GPS tracking: Using our approved trackers, you can monitor the location and movement of your fleet vehicles in real-time.
- 24/7 monitoring: Crystal Ball’s range of car trackers ensures your fleet vehicles are monitored 24/7 by a professional monitoring centre.
- Driver ID tags: Our trackers use driver ID tags to prevent unauthorised individuals from accessing and operating your vehicle.
- Immobilisation features: Our top-of-the-range Thatcham-approved trackers have a handy vehicle immobilisation feature, allowing you to remotely switch off a stolen vehicle via an app or online.
- Compliance with data protection laws: Crystal Ball uses trackers that comply with all the relevant UK data protection laws.
Visit the Crystal Ball website to learn about our range of Thatcham-approved vehicle trackers and how they can help prevent the theft of your fleet vehicles.
How to Choose the Right Tracker for You
When selecting which insurance-approved car tracker to use in your fleet, it’s helpful to keep the following in mind to guide your decision:
- Fleet vs personal use: If you’re looking for trackers for a fleet of vehicles, our FleetTracker systems are ideal. However, if you’re looking for insurance-approved tracking for personal use, our Thatcham tracker range is a better option.
- The type of vehicle: There is a range of Thatcham-approved car trackers available, each suitable for different vehicles. Some trackers work best with passenger vehicles, while others are specifically for vans, motorcycles, trailers or trucks.
- Your budget: Consider your available budget when deciding if you want to install a vehicle tracking system in one car or your entire fleet. Choose a tracker that fits your budget but still provides excellent vehicle protection and handy features.
- Your insurance requirements: If your insurance company requires an industry-approved tracker, install one that meets their requirements. Get the go-ahead from your insurance provider before purchasing and installing a specific tracker.
Conclusion
With up to 200,000 vehicles stolen in the UK annually, protect your fleet vehicles from theft by installing a vehicle tracking device that has been approved by your insurance.
Vehicle trackers are a sure way to prevent unauthorised vehicle access and theft. They help with easy tracking and recovery of a stolen vehicle. Many UK insurance providers also reward you for installing an approved tracker with lower insurance premiums, helping you save money.
Contact Crystal Ball today to learn how our Thatcham-approved vehicle trackers can prevent your fleet vehicles from getting stolen, helping you avoid unnecessary financial losses and business interruptions. Request a demo and let us show you how to use our range of telematics solutions and vehicle trackers to reduce fleet costs and fuel consumption, improve driver behaviour, and give you peace of mind.