Take security and safety seriously, farmers warned
30th April 2024
ATVTrac, the dedicated security machinery tracking specialist, is continuing its mission to get farmers and landowners to take security and safety more seriously, as machinery theft continues to rise across many regions of the country.
Aside from the very obvious and conventional reasons behind theft, longer lead times on some new machinery and therefore greater demand on the used market, has seen theft continue to increase.
NFU Mutual reported a 29% increase in the annual cost of rural theft in the UK in 2022 alone, with the cost shooting up from £40.5m to £49.5m between 2021 and 2022. Most notably the theft of expensive GPS units fitted to machinery has seen the figures rise, but thanks to ATVTrac’s application in such units, some farmers and landowners are taking action.
As well as protecting machinery that can be driven away, ATVTrac has also expanded its offering into the arborist market, protecting woodchipper equipment, enjoying endorsement from leading manufacturer, GreenMech too.
“Simple education”
But despite this relative doom and gloom, ATVTrac says it continues to lead the fight against rural crime, thanks to its intelligent functionality that protects any type of farm machinery 24/7, 365 days a year.
The firm’s Rupert Archer-Smith, explained: “The trend is pretty obvious when you think about it. When a product is hard to come by, the thieves see a way to make money. Unfortunately, we as an industry have been too slow to respond to theft, and while our tracking product is a very real and valid tool in the fight against rural crime, so is simple education. It may sound obvious, but all too often simple actions like being aware of who is around, removing ignition keys, putting an ATV away at night or just locking it up in a barn are enough. More than anything we just need to be aware.”
Of course, there will always be the more determined thieves, which is why ATVTrac now protects many ATV, side-by-side and machinery manufacturers across the UK, and why manufacturers such as Can-Am, CF Moto, Corvus, Kawasaki, Polaris, Suzuki, Kioti, GreenMech and many others endorse ATVTrac.
Protecting lone workers
But it’s not just theft that ATVTrac helps to protect users from, as the system also offers benefits for lone workers too, thanks to technology that will notify an emergency contact if the unit detects a machine has been involved in a roll-over incident.
Rupert Archer-Smith continued, “It’s not always a subject that gets much attention, but lone worker safety is, in our opinion, really important. When we introduced ATVTrac, we realised that we could implement this functionality thanks to technology already developed in our units. Quite simply, as soon as the unit detects vehicle angle outside of normal parameters for a period of time, with no speed, the system will automatically send a text message to chosen contacts in case a roll-over incident has occurred.”
A function that has proven its effectiveness on many occasions, like for Shropshire farmer, Andrew Morris, who was pleased to have the ATV Over functionality when his Suzuki KingQuad dropped into a hidden gully and flipped over, resulting in an injured shoulder.
“It was reassuring to know the ATVTrac system worked without any time delay or problems with finding his location”, commented his sister Jenny. “It’s also great to know the system contacts more than one emergency contact too”.
With flexible installation on any type of machinery, and using multi-tier technology, ATVTrac offers real-time location information, while informing the owner of unauthorised movement through text, email and phone call.
Extra useful functions include live battery information, service notifications, as well as journey history and usage reports.
24/7 monitoring
Should a theft occur, ATVTrac has a 24-hour monitored call center to track the device, liaising with police or partner company Securitas to recover the stolen asset and return it in a hassle-free way.
On top of ATVTrac’s extensive security functionality, owners also get access to dedicated offers too, such as the firm’s current discount opportunity with brands such as Milenco, where subscribers can get discounts on accredited hitch locks, steering wheel bars and wheel clamps. In conjunction with Securitas, ATVTrac will also be offering lone worker solutions.
Visit ATVTrac online for more information.
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