Why you need to Contaminate your Bike with its own DNA!
South Africa is not the only country suffering from the onslaught of bicycle thefts.
The rest of world are victims of this crime too. In an interesting article by Richard Cantle, founder of Stolen Ride (stolenride.co.uk), a former bike thief is interviewed in an attempt to get insight into how and why bicycles are stolen. In a nutshell Cantle discovered the following:
The motivation behind stealing bicycles is money – quick and easy.
Be wary of mass gatherings of cyclists – never let your guard down.
Never use a chain as they are easy to cut and remove. Rather use a small D-lock on front and back wheels.
Unlike vehicles, bicycles do not have number plates, chassis numbers and engine numbers that police can use to identify them as stolen. The law also does not require bicycles to be registered. Serial numbers are easily shaved off, filed or painted over. The only solution is to make them more tamper-proof, use a bike register and “contaminate” the bike with its own DNA.
So HOW DO YOU contaminate your bicycle with its own DNA?
The answer in South Africa is MICRODOTS – thousands of them. The DataDot Bicycle Theft Deterrent and Recovery System secures the identity of your bicycle with over 2 000 unique identifiers linked to you. Microdots are almost invisible to the naked eye but can be detected with a UV light and magnifying device. It is virtually impossible to locate and remove all the microdots, making it extremely difficult for thieves to sell your bicycle or its parts without fear of being caught and prosecuted. A warning sticker acts as a further deterrent to thieves. Each microdot contains a unique 10-digit PIN which is allocated to the profile of the bicycle owner on our DataDot App. This information assists the police in recovering your bike should it be stolen and will also assist you in dealing with your insurance company.
By providing your bicycle with a unique identity, you make the bicycle less valuable to thieves and in doing so you protect your freedom and mobility. Read more on securing the identity of your bicycle.