Hijacking remains a serious threat to South African motorists, and sophisticated syndicateshave found lucrative markets for stolen vehicles. The simple fact of the matter is that if you haven’t been the victim of this type of crime already, you may quite easily become another statistic.

If there’s a silver lining to the dark cloud, however, it’s that hijackers are generally more interested in your vehicle than they are in you and your children. Here’s a quick reminder as how to, firstly, avoid the situation, and secondly, minimise the chance of any injury to yourself or your kids.

Avoidance

• The overwhelming majority of hijackings occur in people’s driveways. This is to say that you are most vulnerable when waiting for your gate to open.
• Be alert when in your own neighbourhood, and check to see if any car seems to be following you – if you’re unsure, simply drive around the block, but take note of the car make and licence number. Additionally, be wary of unusual vehicles parked in the street, especially if they have occupants in them.
• Don’t make yourself a soft target: if you pull into your driveway before the gate is fully opened, it’s easy to become boxed-in if another vehicle drives up behind you.
• If you have to open you gate yourself, leave the key in the ignition when you exit the vehicle unless you’re driving with children: then the key can ensure that you have time to retrieve them unharmed.

With this in mind, however, syndicates are often looking for a specific vehicle, and they will do their best to obtain the one they want – including impersonating the police. This is why you have to know how to act.