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| Immobilizers won’t stop car theft or aid vehicle recovery
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Boomerang Tracking Inc.
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Press Release
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Craig Armstrong
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3/10/2005
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A federal government decision to require immobilizers to be standard equipment in all new vehicles by 2007 is a good step, but it won’t stop vehicle theft and it won’t help recover vehicles for their owners, says Boomerang Tracking.
“It’s an additional deterrent to joyriders, but as we have learned at Boomerang, sophisticated thieves regularly steal vehicles equipped with immobilizers,” said Boomerang General Manager Craig Armstrong. “Only Boomerang’s proprietary technology and covert tracking ensures that owners’ vehicles will be recovered, often within an hour or two.”
Armstrong said Boomerang’s experience in tracking stolen vehicles shows that immobilizers have not been a barrier to vehicle theft. A Boomerang analysis from August 2003 to August 2004 showed 36 per cent of stolen vehicles Boomerang recovered had Insurance Bureau of Canada-approved immobilizer devices.
In many cases, cars are simply towed or lifted onto flatbed trucks by well-organized vehicle theft rings. In other cases vehicles are stolen after home break-ins or by car-jackings using the owner’s key. More than 60 per cent of vehicles stolen in Eastern Canada are never seen again.
In fact, a study at Johns Hopkins University recently showed that the security feature behind immobilizer systems – based on the vehicle only starting when a chip embedded in the key is recognized – can be “cracked” and circumvented.
Armstrong commended federal Transport Minister Jean Lapierre for stating that mandatory immobilizers by Sept. 1, 2007 won’t stamp out auto theft completely. Boomerang’s experience has shown that crime rings which steal vehicles for export and ‘chop shops’ already know how to circumvent immobilizer systems.
“Vehicles will always be stolen. There is virtually nothing that can be done to prevent that. But only Boomerang offers a proven solution for tracking stolen vehicles – even in underground garages or on container ships where GPS systems cannot be detected – and ensuring vehicles are returned to their rightful owners,” Armstrong said.
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| Boomerang
Tracking Inc. markets and distributes the Boomerang®
tracking devices, proprietary products using technology
patented by the Company. The Boomerang, Boomerang2™
and GSM-based units are the central devices in
a system that uses the wireless networks of major
regional telecommunications companies for tracking
stolen assets. The Boomerang Tracking System is
capable of locating stolen automobiles, heavy
equipment and valuable assets. As a result of
its success, the Company has received the endorsement
of members of the insurance industry. The Boomerang
devices are available and installed through a
network of authorized dealers in Quebec and Ontario.
The Company's head office, research and development
centre and manufacturing facilities are located
in Montreal, Quebec, with regional facilities
located in Mississauga, Ontario. Boomerang Tracking is a wholly owned subsidiary of LoJack Corporation (NASDAQ:LOJN). |
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