Hijacking is a sad reality that many South Africans are faced with on a daily basis. The Q3 crime stats released by the SAPS recently showed that around 66 cars are hijacked daily – an increase of 6.5% on the same period in 2022. The provinces of Gauteng, the Western Cape, and the North West saw noticeable increases in hijackings.
Charnel Hattingh, Group Head of Marketing & Communications for Fidelity Services Group says vehicle hijackings are largely a business driven by demand and supply. “As a result, hijackers target specific vehicles for a specific purpose and market. The demand for Toyotas, VW’s, Fords, and Nissans remains high on the black market.”
It is important that all vehicle owners install a vehicle tracking system. Vehicle telematics systems and car trackers (such as Fidelity SecureDrive, one of the products offered by the Fidelity Services Group) offer real-time tracking of a vehicle’s movements.
Hattingh says knowing exactly where you are means accident alerts can be received in real time resulting in faster emergency dispatching where every second counts.
Theft alerts or panic button activations similarly will save lives when response units are dispatched without delay
“We are urging all residents to be extra cautious at this time and to keep an eye out for cars possibly following them. The general trend is that hijackers usually follow a victim from a shop or a school, for example,” says Hattingh.
She advises drivers to wait in the road and not in their driveways if they suspect they are being followed. “Wait for any cars to pass you and wait until the car is a far distance away before entering your property. If you have a panic button or a mobile security app, have it on and on hand just in case. Fidelity has, for example, an escourt service which you can request should you feel unsafe and a Fidelity vehicle will follow you home make sure you arrive safely.”
Hattingh reminds parents that when you have children in the car, the eldest child should be seated behind the driver and the youngest to the left. “The National Hijack Prevention Academy recommends this. The reason for this is if you are hijacked and need to get out of the car, you can move quickly from the driver’s door to the door directly behind it. You can reach across the eldest child to unstrap the younger child. The eldest child can cling to you as you remove them both together.”
“If you need to stop in your driveway to manually open the gate, remember to always leave the key in the ignition and the motor running unless you have a child in the car. Only then should you take the key with you as you open the gate. The key is a valuable negotiating tool – they want your car and you want your child.”
Lastly, she asks all residents to be more alert the closer they get to home, checking for strangers or strange cars in their street. “Turn your radio off, put your cellphone down, tell the kids to be quiet and concentrate on your surroundings as you approach home. Please report anything suspicious to your security provider or the SAPS immediately,” she concludes.
