GPS Thefts Are Epidemic

I love my Garmin Nuvi 660 GPS unit. As a man with NO sense of direction, I tend to stubbornly stick to the few routes I know even when there is horrible traffic or even total stoppages. But with my GPS, I can "detour" around areas with confidence. Likewise, when plans change or I am asked to go somewhere new, I don't need an hour of preparation with Mapquest or Google Maps before I am confident enough to go. I can simply enter the target address, and let the GPS talk me through it. The unit is not perfect - sometimes maps are out of date or take you a way which is only "fastest" in theory - but it has saved me HOURS of time and has restored YEARS to my life in stress.

But last year, my car was broken into and my GPS was stolen when I left it in my car while I was not there. It was literally a 10 minute period that I was not in the car, but the thieves had sufficient time to break the window, grab out the unit and the holder, and run off. The police officer who responded told me that portable GPS thefts are epidemic, because the units are easily seen, easily grabbed, and easily re-sold because they do not "phone home" and thus are essentially untraceable. I bought a replacment, but now ALWAYS take it inside with me or at least hide it somewere in the car.

It turns out that I am not alone in this experience:

http://www.connpost.com/localnews/ci_6744653