The Rental Car Industry and Criminal Organizations
Rental car industry, has become the target of criminal organizations in recent years. This situation threatens not only car rental companies, but also individual renters and the safety of society. In Turkey, approximately 22 thousand car rental companies and these companies have a total of a fleet of one million However, increasing crime rates and thefts endanger the sustainability of the sector.
Increasing Theft Incidents and Its Effects
Especially in big cities, İstanbul In metropolises like Istanbul, theft cases during car rental transactions are drawing attention. Last Eid al-Adha 857 thousand vehicles A record was broken by renting out properties. However, more than half of these rentals belonged to individual users, which increased crime rates. HDY Group Board Chairman Hidayat Yildirim, expresses this situation as “The rented vehicles are sold after being stolen and destroyed. In 2016, only one person committed theft by renting a vehicle from 80 different companies.”
Methods of Criminal Organizations
Criminal organisations rent vehicles or Syria ve Iraq They smuggle them to countries like these or sell them by changing parts of the vehicles. With these methods, tens of thousands of vehicles are lost and cause great damage to the sector. Yıldırım emphasizes the extent of the losses by saying, “The sector’s damage is in the billions of liras.”
Legal Deficiencies and Non-Prosecution Problems
Yıldırım states that legal loopholes provide opportunities for criminals. Stating that they cannot even register stolen vehicles as “stolen”, Yıldırım says that prosecutors drop the charges by saying “there is a commercial relationship”. This situation is not limited to stolen vehicles, but extends to smuggling of prohibited substances and people. The use of the car rental system for refugees to go abroad puts the sector in an even more difficult position.
KABIS and New Developments
Implemented by the General Directorate of Security KABIS system stands out as an important step in solving these problems. Thanks to KABİS, it has become possible to see how many vehicles a person has rented at the same time. Yıldırım emphasizes the importance of the system by saying, “We have been fighting for this for six years. Finally, this law was passed last week. Now, rental companies will be able to see how many vehicles a person has rented through KABİS.”
Corporate Responsibility and Solutions
Corporate responsibility In terms of the rental contracts, car rental companies should also be careful. If the rental contracts are less than 12 months, the company is responsible. This also applies to accidents; even if the tenant is the one causing the accident, compensation must be paid to the company. This situation is a factor that threatens the financial sustainability of companies.
The Problem of Pirate Taxi Driving
With short term rentals Pirate taxi service users who do this are also another problem in the sector. This situation causes both security and economic losses. In this context, rental companies need to take more precautions and improve their security processes.
As a result
The rental car sector is going through a crisis due to increasing crime rates and thefts. However, if the right steps are taken, it is possible to overcome these problems. The introduction of systems such as KABIS can contribute to the decrease in crime rates. Car rental companies being more careful and evaluating their customers correctly plays a critical role in solving the problems in the sector.
