How to avoid being hijacked
Check the rear-view mirror to ensure you are not being followed.
Allegedly, hijackings are mostly likely to occur on Fridays between 4pm and 8pm, said Arrive Alive.
Hijacking is a great concern to motorists as they worry about becoming victims. According to Arrive Alive, vehicle hijacking forms one of the sub-categories of armed robbery and does not constitute a different crime. Perpetrators would consequently be charged with “robbery with aggravating circumstances” in court, and not with “vehicle hijacking”.
Arrive Alive indicated that robbery with aggravating circumstances can be defined as the unlawful, intentional and violent removal and appropriation of movable corporeal property belonging to another. The victim’s resistance has to be overcome and the property obtained by the use of violence against the victim’s person.
Arrive Alive offered the following advice for avoiding a hijacking situation:
Firstly, attend a hijack prevention and survival course.
Also Read: WATCH: Man narrowly escapes hijacking
Approaching and entering your driveway
Adopt the two kilometres from your house strategy. Be extra alert. Switch off the car radio and concentrate on your surroundings. If you have noticed any vehicle behind you, use the techniques you learned during the hijack prevention and survival course to determine whether you are being followed.
Remember to stop your vehicle just inside the gate and select reverse while waiting for the gate to close.
Be aware of unknown pedestrians close to your residential address, and do not turn into your driveway. Rather drive past and go back later.
Parking your vehicle:
Check your rear-view mirror to ensure you are not being followed. When exiting your vehicle, be cautious and aware of surrounding obstructions and shrubbery that may be concealing a hijacker.
Never sit in your parked vehicle without being conscious of your surroundings. Sleeping in a stationary vehicle is particularly dangerous.
When approaching your driveway, be on the lookout for suspicious vehicles or persons. This is very important, as the majority of hijackers approach their victims in home driveways.
Whilst entering your vehicle and while driving, the following should be considered:
Have your key ready, but not visible. Inspect the outside and inside of the vehicle before unlocking. Check underneath your vehicle for items placed under the wheels. Also, make sure nobody is hiding on the passenger side before you enter your vehicle.
Know your destination and the directions to it, and be alert should you get lost. Always drive with your windows closed and doors locked. Make a mental note of any police stations in the vicinity.
If your vehicle is hijacked or stolen, report promptly to the police. Make sure you have the vehicle details – make, model, colour, vehicle identification and registration numbers – available to assist with the recovery of the vehicle. When forced to drive with a hijacker, be observant without making direct eye contact and try to memorise as many details as possible.
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