What to do when hijacked
Hijackings are unfortunately a prevailing part of our crime story, with over 30 000 hijackings of motor vehicles, including trucks, taking place in a single year.
With more citizens predicted to be on the road this festive season, motorists are urged to be on the alert as hijackers may also seize the opportunity by pouncing on unsuspecting motorists.
The management of Dialdirect and the National Hijacking Prevention Academy (NHPA) has seen a significant spike in hijackings and urges South Africans to be vigilant.
“Hijackings are unfortunately a prevailing part of our crime story, with over 30 000 hijackings of motor vehicles, including trucks, taking place in a single year,” said Bianca de Beer, spokesperson for Dialdirect. “Our claims data shows that hijackings have increased by 20% from 2019 to 2020,”added De Beer.
Read: How to keep your baby and toddler safe in a car hijacking
Dialdirect and NHPA shares the following tips on what to do when hijacked: •
Do not speak too fast and do not make sudden movements.
• Do not lose your temper, threaten or challenge the hijacker and do exactly as you’re told.
• Do not resist, especially if the hijacker is armed. Surrender your vehicle and move away.
• Do not reach for your purse or valuables. Leave everything in the vehicle.
• Do not make eye contact with the hijacker. They may perceive this behaviour as a threat.
• Put your hands up immediately to show you have surrendered.
• Use your left hand to unlock the door and use the same hand to undo the seat belt and put the car out of gear.
Also read: 10 Tips to keep your family safe during a hijacking
• With an automatic vehicle, just pull up the handbrake.
• When getting out of your vehicle, turn your body sideways, lift your shoulders and use your hands and arms to cover the head / neck area.
• Move away from the vehicle immediately.
• Keep your hands still and visible to the hijacker, to give them assurance of your passive constant.
• If you have a child in the vehicle during an attack, you may want to reach through between the seats to retrieve your child, or if you don’t feel comfortable doing this, you may exit the vehicle and open the door behind you immediately.
• Step into the vehicle with your right leg and foot and lean across to retrieve your child.
• Gather as much information as possible without posing a threat, such as how many hijackers are in the gang, what they are wearing, number and type of firearms, which language or accent they use and where they drive off to.
Directly following a hijacking:
First phone the SA Police Service on 10111. They will dispatch the medical services if needed. Activate the tracking device if the vehicle is fitted with one. “Knowing how to reduce your chances of being hijacked – and exactly how to react if you are – could quite literally be the difference between life and death,” De Beer concludes.
