Victims of the night we should never be

VIEW-i Ruby, a two-camera system with infrared light

It may not just be a lonely nighttime drive, but a harrowing one, as well. The darkness of the night provides the perfect opportunity for individuals or groups with evil intentions to cloak themselves in anonymity. And when the intended victims least expect it, the perpetrators would strike, then disappear into the shadows where no witnesses are able to see.

Thanks to globalization and advanced telecommunications, employment opportunities in this country aren’t limited anymore to nine-to-five jobs. But economic growth burns both ends of the moral matchstick. Even the criminals notice that their own “career opportunities” have widened, most especially during the wee hours of the morning.

The police can only exhort the public to keep their wits about them, and follow these safety precautions: Always be mindful of your surroundings; lock your car doors and windows at all times; avoid a) waiting inside the car while parked b) stopping in isolated places, c) stopping for strangers or d) riding with or hitching a ride with a new acquaintance; save the following police numbers on your mobile phones: PNP TEXT 2920; PATROL 117 (nationwide emergency); HPG 7261261 to 62 or 0906-3745375.

However, former Land Transportation Office/Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board chair Alberto Suansing, now executive director of the Philippine Global Road Safety Partnership, urges motorists not to rely on these numbers alone, but to focus on the present and rely on their gut feel, to sense when a vehicle has been trailing your car and to be ready to drive to the nearest barangay or police outpost when you feel you’re in danger. He warns, in particular, those working or coming from areas that have statistically seen a marked rise in nighttime criminal incidents, such as in malls and in popular hangouts like Libis in Quezon City, Bonifacio Global City and Makati.

VEHICLE location overlayed on satellite image

Daisy Jacobo, LTO chief of the traffic safety division, reminds motorists not to immediately alight from their vehicles when another vehicle bumps them (especially late at night and on isolated streets). “Instead, drive away to the nearest police station or crowded area.” She adds that drivers and passengers should never leave car windows open, especially during traffic jams. And this applies to taxicabs, as well.

Technology can also become a motorist’s powerful ally, and compelling, reliable witness. The Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group recommends motorists and vehicle owners to install security alarm and security devices in their cars. Beyond merely sounding alarms, car security and monitoring systems have evolved by leaps and bounds.

Inquirer Motoring has sought out 10 locally available devices and their sources. These devices, the sources claim, make it much more difficult for criminals to carry out their plans, or at least make it doubly harder for them to cover their tracks.

CYBERTRACK system diagram for automatic vehicle location system, the same for the Cybertrack for Android phone except that it is a mobile phone that is tracked. The system works for all vehicles with at least a 12V battery.

The SOS-panic button. This is a button discreetly located and within reach of the driver or passenger. When activated, the system sends out an SMS alert to an unlimited number of recipients. The SMS or text message indicates the current location of the vehicle, with a time stamp. Software architect Rodel V. Mangulabnan, president and CEO of Silicon Computer & Telecoms Inc., showed Inquirer Motoring an SMS sample: “SOS! At 10:13 a.m.—30 m SE of SM Hypermart, Edsa, Cubao.” The recipients of this message can now report to the authorities the location of the vehicle sending the “SOS” message.

Onboard camera. An optional accessory to the SOS-panic button is an onboard camera that can take snapshots when the SOS-panic button is activated. Mangulabnan says this can be activated also via SMS or secure Web page. He adds that the images taken by the camera would be displayed on the website.

Another vehicle tracking device that has an SOS-panic button is the VT110 GPS Tracker.

Richie Ang of Winterpine Marketing reveals that another recently introduced product, the VT310-AVT Vehicle CCTV and tracking solution, “captures up-to-the-minute images of your vehicle’s interior, storing the data in a cloud server.” Customers can review the images at website www.inav.ph.

“Black box” in a car. Videos of what’s happening inside and outside of a vehicle can also be recorded, using the View-i Blackbox from Korea and distributed by Cybersoft Integrated Geoinformatics Inc. The “black box” records the visual condition of the road, traffic and weather, as well as the audio from the interior directly from the dashboard.

THE “BLACKBOX”

“The two-camera Ruby model allows additional recording of the visuals of the vehicle interior (including any intruder) even during nighttime with its night vision attachment,” says Chito Canteras, vice president for marketing and sales of Cybersoft Integrated Geoinformatics.

“A computer playback software allows the review of GPS data, including date and the time of recording, vehicle speed, G-forces, and when connected to the Internet, the actual location of the vehicle as shown in a map. The View-i Blackbox can be installed in all types of vehicles. A four-camera system with a hard drive is now available. This system is ideal for buses and jeepneys to deter criminal acts inside the vehicle,” adds Canteras.

The siren to drive them out. Mangulabnan, an engineer whose company specializes on GPS, RFIDs, biometrics and remote telemetry, describes the dashboard-mounted siren as generating “pulses of 120-db noise to flush out car occupants.”

The noise of 120 decibels is like standing within 30 meters of a four-engine jet taking off. “The dashboard-mounted siren can be remotely activated via SMS or secured Web page,” adds Mangulabnan.

Canteras, who is also a firearms safety instructor and former chair and regional director of the Philippine Practical Shooting Association, reveals motorists can make their whereabouts known to their family or friends using three real-time location finders:

COMPUTER playback view of View-i recording

Cybertrack Automatic Vehicle Location System (AVLS). The system uses the latest GPS tracking system and GSM technology to provide real-time information, live-tracking and reports of your vehicles’ status (engine state) and location. The system includes the proprietary Cybersoft map and map-based visualization tool, with zooming and panning functions, that displays street-level views of the deployment areas of your vehicles. Points of interest and landmarks included in the database enhance appreciation of the vehicles’ location.

Cybertrack Android Phones. This has almost the same functions as the Cybertrack AVLS, except that the application is installed to your Mobile Android phone or tablet.

Globe Tracker. This is a location-based service available through the Globe Telecom SMS service that gives family and friends a better way to know where a motorist is within seconds—without even having to call or text the motorist. Check out www.cybersoft.ph and tracker.globe.com.ph for details.

Engine immobilizer. Mangulabnan says this device could shut off the engine remotely, via SMS or a secure Web page.

ONE OF the views when you check your vehicle in the Cybertrack website: A trail of the vehicle given a certain period

Geographical Fence (out of route). Mangulabnan says this device’s GPS platform can learn the usual route of the motorist and alert an unlimited number of SMS recipients if the vehicle is out of the usual route. He shows a sample SMS alert: “Geofence Alert! 10:15 a.m. moving 33 kph at 15 m SE of Edsa corner Connecticut St., Mandaluyong City.”

Hands-free two-way communication. Mangulabnan explains that this can be activated remotely to either listen only or talk to car occupants using “authorized” cell phone or landline numbers.

Mangulabnan’s gadgets start at P16,500. The buyers have three options. They can opt to skip the monthly subscription and buy the unit at P16,500, put in a prepaid unlimited text SIM card and download free Android apps from his website www.stellaxgps.com.

For those who choose monthly subscriptions, they can buy the unit at P16,500 and subscribe to the Mobile Asset Management System at www.gpstracker.ph. Subscription rate starts at P1,300 per month, SIM card included with unlimited text alerts.

IPHONE receiving SMS alert

For commercial applications, Mangulabnan’s company has a lease option. Monthly fee starts at P2,000 per month (all-in) with free use of GPS device and SIM card, and a lifetime warranty.

A Cybertrack AVLS hardware costs P15,000 and installation fee is P2,500 monthly with a monthly fee of P500, according to Canteras. The Cybertrack for Android entails a “one-time fee of P500 or a monthly fee of P150 to P300 depending on the plan. Telco SMS subscription is not included.”

Canteras adds that the View-i with one camera is P7,500, while the two-camera system goes for P12,500.

Do you have your own safety device or technique that you want to share with readers? E-mail the author at tsalazar@inquirer.com.ph.