In this time and age, technology is the bedrock of comfort. How doestate one spend so much cash on a vehicle without putting a tracking device on it. The problem with Nigerians is we are always over sanctimonious, believing "oh, it can never happen to me" but remember you may not be in a better standing than those it's happening to right beside you. The Advantages of a good tracking device are as follows:

INSTANT POSITIONING: Have you ever been so agitated about where your driver is with your vehicle, knowing he is in most times not truthful, especially when your children are in the car? A good tracking device will give you real time positioning of the exact location of your vehicle, this should include street name and even house numbers, all within 5 seconds, with full control options at your finger tips.

TRIP REPORT: A good device will store a detailed record of every journey route your can has been to for at least the past one year, and you can have a replay of any journey made at any given point in time. With this you know exactly where your driver went through, how good or bad his driving is when you are not in t he car, if he leaves your engine running for Airconditioning, while you are busy in the office, you can even know if there was truly traffic on the way- in short , you are in total control of your precious vehicle.

GEO-FENCING: with this feature your are able to predefine the areas you want your vehicle to be in.If anyone drives the vehicle outside your set area, you are alerted.

IMMOBILIZATION: This allows you to stop the car engine with a mobile phone, even if the vehicle is in another state entirely. Although, are some specifics as to when and when not to stop a vehicle, especially when is been stolen, a good t racking company should be able to train users on this issue.

ADVANCED INSTALLATION: This is a major issue when it comes to vehicle tracking. If the thieves can find the device, the car is totally lost, except through other advanced recovery means. A good tracking company should be able to brag of an advance installation system that makes the tracker totally invisible, so much that even the owner of the vehicle will never come across it.

OTHERS: A good tracking device provides lots of other wonderful options like the panic button, video recording, sound recording, driver's I.d, fuel monitoring, overspeed, harsh breaking, bad acceleration, sharp turning, and so much more.

Are we discouraging Vehicle Insurance? No. The point is that the insurance is essential, but that cannot tell you where your driver is, how he drives when you are not in the vehicle, what happens to your fuel, and so much more. Recently insurance companies tell you they give free tracking devices , but the truth is they never put in the best brands due the cost. You have a right to decide what device you want in your vehicle because the average cost of an effective tracking unit is N50, 000 but the insurance firms only put in the N15, 000 devices which can't really answer all this daily routine questions adequately.

A good tracking company should have an insurance company they are partnering with, to give you the best of both Insurance and tracking, the company should also be able to help recover stolen vehicles within 24hrs. If it can happen to someone you know, it can happen to you too.... I know you just thought to yourself, "God forbid" , well I agree, but that is why you have the grace of reading up on the need for a tracking device.

For more information on the best tracking companies, tested and trusted please call 08179633142 or mail me - seyi@protouchng.com

Thanks for reading.

but paying 50k for comprehensive insurance policy for a 1m naira car and also having a tracker of 50k in d same car isnt a waste of cash?.....1st to coment

I understand your point of view, but firstly you can get a 10k discount on the annual premium on insurance, if you are the one providing the tracking device. Secondly the tracking device is a one-off payment except you require extra services from the vehicle tracking company, even at this, the annual service charge is not more than 10k. it's just the first year you invest extra 40k on your vehicle and your peace of mind. From year 2, all you pay for is the insurance premium.

I have a client, whose driver deliberately drove away his car after dropping him off at the office, then some guy called in to say he has been kidnapped with the car, asking for a ransom. With the help of the tracking device, my client was able to easily recover the vehicle within 3hrs, saving him the stress of having to be without a car while waiting for insurance company to indemnify. Also he was able to discover that he employed a demon as his driver.

I think insurance companies do a great job on indemnity nowadays, but you will not get back that same value of the loss, nor the personal attachment with the car. My cousin whose car was stolen was of the same point of view with you until he had to be withou t a car for about 4months. When he got his second car, no one taught him to put in a tracking device.

Please note however, that not all tracking devices are dependable, the company must have an NCC license, a good operational system in place, a vehicle recovery network and must have been tested by time, with a good track record that can be confirmed.