Legal uses of GPS vehicle Tracking Devices
When a consumer is researching Global Positioning System (GPS tracking) technology, the question of legality often is raised. Can drivers’ whereabouts be logged without notification? If they are notified, is their consent required?
The laws on vehicle tracking might differ from state to state, and so might any individual’s interpretation of them. The majority of companies selling vehicle tracking systems advise that the buyer seek legal counsel and/or consult local authorities about the devices. Ultimately, the user is responsible for its appropriate use.
Under most circumstances, GPS tracking is permitted with the consent of the vehicle’s registered owner. This covers two of the most common scenarios for using GPS tracking systems: In small businesses and private households.
Business and fleet management
Companies lose money each year due to poor productivity. Anyone who has ever managed a workplace will agree that people find ways to make company rules and policies work more to their advantage.
Executives are getting serious about uncovering policy-abusers, and they feel more comfortable when they have GPS data as evidence against lawsuits or investigations that result from a termination, reported the “2007 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey,” (conducted by the American Management Association and the ePolicy Institute.)
Vehicle tracking has other benefits – among them better fuel savings, mileage logging and route scheduling.
Many employers tell their workers that their vehicles are being tracked. This accomplishes two things: The employer removes the cloak of secrecy that concerns employees; and he establishes that company vehicles, computers, even company-issued cell phones are his property and that he has the right to monitor them.
GPS tracking without employee knowledge is illegal in Connecticut and Delaware, according to a July, 2008 article by “Fleet Financials.” But there also are some incidents when it has been proven legal.
The New York Post reported the case of a school employee who was fired after a GPS device in his work-issued cell phone showed he repeatedly left work early. In court, the employee claimed he didn’t know the phone had a GPS system and that his employer invaded his privacy by monitoring his whereabouts. The judge ruled that his employer was not obligated to notify employees of all the methods used to uncover misconduct.
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Tags: GPS Tracking, legal issues, privacy issues, Teen Driving, Vehicle Tracking
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April 16th, 2009 at 10:13 am
A device that lowers your insurance rates and tells you where your kids are at. SOunds awesome.