International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology- Volume2Issue3- 2011

A Study on Auto Theft Prevention Using GSM

K. Veeranna Reddy 1, Y. Tirumala Babu2
Assoc.Professor & Head, Dept.of ECE, Sri Sai Madhavi Institute of Science & Technology, Rajahmundry, A.P., India. M.Tech (Embedded Systems), St.Mary's College of Engineering & Technology, Hyderabad, India.

ABSTRACT This paper deals with the design & development of a theft control system for an automobile, which is being used to prevent / control the theft of a vehicle. The developed system makes use of an embedded system based on GSM technology. An interfacing mobile is also connected to the microcontroller, which is in turn, connected to the engine. Once, the vehicle is being stolen, the information is being used by the vehicle owner for further processing. The information is passed onto the central processing insurance system, where by sitting at a remote place, a particular number is dialed by them to the interfacing mobile that is with the hardware kit which is installed in the vehicle. By reading the signals received by the mobile, one can control the ignition of the engine; say to lock it or to stop the engine immediately. Again it will come to the normal condition only after entering a secured password. The owner of the vehicle & the central processing system will know this secured password. The main concept in this design is introducing the mobile communications into the embedded system. Keywords GSM, Microcontroller, mobile, vehicle.

I. INTRODUCTION More than 93 percent of car thefts occur in metropolitan areas where motor vehicle theft remains a pervasive problem. Western states, in particular, experience high rates of motor vehicle theft, while nationally a car or truck was stolen every 28.8 seconds in 2007. The FBI Uniform Crime Reports released in September 2008 estimate 1.1 million motor vehicle thefts in 2007, with an estimated value of $7.4 billion. The most costly property crime in the United States, auto theft results in monetary losses to

victims and affects auto insurance costs for the driving public and public safety costs for state and local governments. Casual car theft, such as those committed by joyriding juveniles, still exists but has become a lesser part of the auto theft problem. Increasingly, car theft is a sophisticated criminal enterprise that involves title fraud, vehicle identification cloning, and stripping cars for parts in chop shops. The domestic and international black market for stolen vehicles and their parts is a profitable business. Vehicle identification cloning helps facilitate the crime of dealing in stolen vehicles. A thief copies a Vehicle Identification Number from a legally owned and documented vehicle and uses it to create counterfeit VIN tags for a similar vehicle, making it easier to sell the cloned vehicle without detection. Thieves also create phantom or paper vehicles by obtaining insurance on a car that does not exist or that they do not own, reporting it as stolen and collecting on the claim. Antique and luxury vehicles often are used for these schemes because they yield large insurance settlements. The parts from popular older models often are collectively worth more than the intact vehicle. Many of these stolen cars end up in chop shops, where they are disassembled for parts sold to unscrupulous or unsuspecting repair shops or parts dealers. Some stolen vehicles are sold on the export market. Older, classic American cars are among those most valued overseas. It is estimated that at least 10 percent of automobile theft is a false report of a stolen car; that is, the vehicle has been given up or disposed of to pursue a fraudulent insurance claim. Some of these cars are simply abandoned, and some may end up at illegitimate chop shops and be fraudulently re-tagged and resold. Insurers estimate that one in six stolen cars in the United States is shipped overseas or driven across state or international borders. Some vehicles that are fraudulently reported as stolen instead may have been traded for drugs. Stolen cars also are

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sometimes used in drug trafficking, drive-by shootings and armed robberies. These cars, often abandoned after they serve their purpose, help the perpetrator elude authorities, since he has no legal tie to the car involved. The Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) is the most popular standard for mobile phones in the world. Over billion people use GSM service across the world. The usability of the GSM standard makes international roaming very common between mobile phone operators, enabling subscribers to use their phones in many parts of the world. GSM differs significantly from its predecessors in that both signaling and speech channels are digital, which means that it is considered a second generation (2G) mobile phone system. This fact has also meant that data communication was built into the system from very early on [1]. The structure of the GSM network is explained in the following paragraphs. The network behind the GS complicated in order to provide all of the services, which are required & is divided into a number of sections, viz., The base station sub-system (the base stations and their controllers). The network and switching sub-system (the part of the network most similar to a fixed network): sometimes also called as the core network. The GPRS core network (the optional part which allows packet based internet connection). financial years. This data comprised all crashes that; (1) were reported to the police, (2) occurred on a road open to the public, (3) involved at least one moving road vehicle, and (4) involved at least one person being killed or injured or at least one motor vehicle being towed away. The data was matched with CARS data on motor vehicle thefts in New South Wales based on the following conditions: a match on registration plate, and a recorded crash date/time between the earliest possible theft incident date/time (minus 10 minutes to allow for differences in time estimates) and theft recovery date/time(plus 10 minutes), or a recorded crash date/time on or after the earliest possible theft incident date/time (minus 10 minutes) where the stolen vehicle remained unrecovered.

The Roads and Traffic Authority also provides CARS with data on all motorised vehicles currently registered in the state biannually. This study was based on the data at 31st December 2006. In addition, to be consistent with the Roads and Traffic Authoritys terminology, the word controller is used in this report and encompasses all road vehicle users including drivers and riders. III. LIMITATIONS There are several limitations to be noted. Approximately 2.2% of the motor vehicles in the crash data did not have a valid registration plate to allow a join with the CARS vehicle theft data. This means that the number of stolen vehicles involved in road crashes may be slightly under-represented in this study. Manual checks of the crash data were also carried out. Three crash incidents which resulted in a join with the stolen data were removed from the stolen vehicle group due to a match on an invalid registration plate (e.g. registration plate 000) or because the stolen vehicle was reportedly recovered following the first of two crashes. Additionally, a high proportion of data on the age and sex of individuals in crashes involving stolen vehicles was missing due to individuals fleeing the scene of the crash thus impossible to obtain the data. This also

All of the elements in the system described above combine to produce many GSM services such as voice calls and SMS. One of the key features of GSM is the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), commonly known as a SIM card. The SIM is a detachable smart card containing the users subscription information and phonebook. This allows the user to retain his information after switching handsets. Alternatively, the user can also change operators while retaining the handset simply by changing the SIM [2]. II. METHODOLOGY The study was based on data from the New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authoritys Traffic Accident Database System on vehicle crashes that occurred between the 1999/2000 and 2006/2007

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impacts injury numbers in crashes involving stolen vehicles. This makes some comparisons with crashes not involving a stolen vehicle difficult. Prevention Board requires all grantees to provide matching funds for anti-theft efforts. Police departments and other grant fund recipients must provide 25 percent of total program costs. Most state statutes require the governing board of the auto theft prevention authority to ensure that grant money is dedicated solely to auto theft prevention activities. Washingtons statute provides that: Expenditures from the account may be used only for activities relating to motor vehicle theft, including education, prevention, law enforcement, investigation, prosecution and confinement.Vehicle titling and branding lawsState laws address how car titles and title branding are handled. A certificate of title for a vehicle provides definitive proof of ownership[4]. The title brand is the official state record of information on the vehicle, including any damage. Title brands indicators, symbols or other notationsare printed on the certificate of title to indicate the history or condition of a vehicle. A title brand will indicate significant damage to the vehicle and brand it as junk or salvage. Ideally, a title brand remains on record for the life of the vehicle. Some states, such as Illinois, have only a few branding designations, while Virginia has nearly 20. Montanas 15 title branding designations provide a typical example (Table 1).

IV. FINDINGS 4.1 Crashes involving stolen vehicle Since the 1999/00 financial year, the number of road crashes in New South Wales has fallen by approximately 15.3% (53,331 crashes in 1999/00; 45,161 in 2006/07). The proportion of crashes involving a stolen vehicle also shows a downward trend over the period with the majority of the decline occurring between 2000/01 and 2003/04, after which the proportion remains relatively stable. In 1999/00, approximately 2.0% of road crashes involved a stolen vehicle with the proportion falling to 1.2% by 2006/07. Over the entire eight-year period, 1.7% of crashes involved a stolen vehicle. V. FUNDING AUTO THEFT REVENTION AUTHORITIES Dedicated, continuous funding of auto theft prevention authorities contributes to their success. Most states fund them with a small sum per vehicle collected from insurance companies that issue coverage in the state. The Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority receives its revenue from a $10 surcharge on traffic infraction fees. In Maryland, legislation to establish the Vehicle Theft Prevention Council also created a Vehicle Theft Prevention Fund that consists, in part, of approximately $2 million from penalties collected for terminated or lapsed automobile insurance, and of appropriated state funds. The fund is used for Council expenses and has provided more than $20 million for vehicle theft prevention programs consistent with a statewide strategy. According to the 2007 annual report of the Maryland Vehicle Theft Prevention Council, effectiveness correlates to funding levels over the 13 years it has operated. Overall, auto thefts in Maryland in 2007 remained below the 1994 base year. The most significant success occurred in and around Baltimore, where the Baltimore Regional Auto Theft Team, (RATT), a multi-jurisdictional task force, has seen a 50 percent drop in motor vehicle theft rates since 1995. The Michigan Auto Theft

Definitions and brands differ significantly from state to state. A salvage brand is required in Georgia, for example, if restoration would require replacement of two or more component parts. In Kentucky, a salvage brand is required if the cost to repair exceeds 75 percent of the vehicles value. Vermont requires a salvage brand on any vehicle that an insurer declares a total loss. Varying thresholds exist for other brands such as junk or flood. In Virginia, a vehicle receives a flood brand if there is more than $1,000 in

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water damage, while in Wyoming a vehicle receives a flood brand if water reached over the door and into the passenger or trunk compartment. Risk of flood is greater in some states than others; at least half the states do not have a motor vehicle title flood brand. The variety of brands and descriptions of what constitutes a brand creates opportunities for auto theft and fraud. Differences in title branding laws make it easier to sell stolen vehicles through title washing and VIN cloning. VI. PRINCIPLES OF SOUND AUTO THEFT PREVENTION The above interests and strategies represent principles of sound auto theft prevention. Local, state and regional distinctions in the amount and kind of auto theft are suitably reflected in policy and practice. The role of state legislatures is valuable in responding to auto theft in the contexts in which it occurs. Federal leadership should accommodate tailored state approaches in line with NCSL federalism policy. Categories and classifications of auto theft in state criminal codes vary widely. Policymakers can review auto theft criminal provisions in the context of modern issues and needs in their state. This is especially true in states where active theft rings and enterprises are suitably distinguished from unauthorized use crimes that often involve juveniles. Automobile title branding designations are diverse across the states. Policymakers can examine branding laws to determine if gaps exist in brand definitions and if additional brands that perhaps are more consistent with other states are needed. Policymakers can consider how the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System might serve their states objectives in reducing auto theft and title fraud. State information technology upgrades to motor vehicle titling systems can facilitate participation, and Bureau of Justice Assistance grants to states have helped with some needed improvements. The education, prevention and information sharing role of auto insurance companies is valuable to state efforts to address auto theft. Policymakers can use the research and expertise of insurers on auto theft-related issues. Consumers benefit from a ready source on crime prevention practices and from customer incentives to use car security systems. The strong relationship of the insurance industry to state auto theft prevention authorities is important to their success. States also can continue to use insurance industry-developed systems to address auto theft-related title and insurance fraud. State auto theft prevention authorities have demonstrated their usefulness. They create statewide umbrellas that can focus resources and expertise in jurisdictions in the state that experience the highest incidence of auto theft. Policymakers can consider whether an auto theft prevention authority can help address auto theft and determine what funding mechanisms will provide for effective implementation and operation of a new or existing auto theft prevention authority. Auto theft prevention authorities and other state initiatives can contribute to funding and training for specialized law enforcement units, technologies, and related efforts to combat auto theft and motor vehicle fraud.

VII. CONCLUSION A novel method of designing a low-cost, compact theft control system for a vehicle was designed & demonstrated in this paper. This work is an ultimate threat for vehicle thieves. Nowadays, the vehicles are least secured when it is stolen by thieves. By this work which is presented in this paper, it is very easy to track the vehicle at a higher degree of accuracy, since it is based on GSM Technology, which is very developed now. So, it is very much easy to get back the vehicle. The crux of the work is that the whole process is done at the least possible cost and it is almost accomodable to the practical implementation. In future, there is no doubt that all of the vehicles will be embedded with this unique kit.

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REFERENCES
[1] Kenneth J. Ayala, The 8051 Microcontroller Architecture, programming &applications, Penram International, India, 2006. [2] Douglas V Hall, Microprocessor and InterfacingProgramming & Hardware.

[3] National Insurance Crime Bureau

www.nicb.org/cps/rde/xchg/nicb/hs.xsl/index.htm.
[4] Livingston, D.H., Merritt, S., Callori, S., and Vanek, S. (1998). Auto theft-related trauma. The Journal of Trauma, Vol 45(4), p 780-783. [5] Ziersch, E.N and Ransom, S. (2008). Road crashes involving stolen vehicles in South Australia. Journal of the Australasian College of Road Safety, Vol 19(2), p 38.

AUTHORS PROFILE

K. Veeranna Reddy working as Assoc.Professor & Head, Dept. of ECE at Sri Sai Madhavi Institute of Science & Technology, Mallampudi, Rajahmundry, A.P., India. His research interest includes Microprocessor, Embedded Systems, and Control Systems.

Y. Tirumala Babu pursuing his M.Tech (ECE) with specialization in Embedded Systems at St. Marys College of Engineering & Technology, Hyderabad, India. His research interest includes Microprocessor, Embedded Systems, and Control Systems.

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