As a car owner and driver, there are multiple risks that you expose yourself to. You’re at risk of banging into someone else, or being banged into, or scraping past a shopping centre parking lot pole. Those are risks that we’re all cautious about when we’re driving. But there’s 1 risk that we’re less aware of while we’re in our cars and that’s the risk of being hi-jacked. Obviously, we all know about smash and grabs taking place in South Africa, but we’re not super aware of it being something that could happen to us as individuals. It’s certainly very shocking to hear about it happening to someone you actually know, right?
Well, we’re here to make sure that you can do everything humanly possible to make sure that this is never a reality that you ever have to encounter.
Here are some things that you can do to prevent a hi-jacking from happening to you.
Plan where you go
When we say that you should ‘plan’, we mean that you should know which areas to avoid driving through (or to) if possible. For your safety’s sake, it’s better to find alternative routes to get to your destination (or change the destination altogether) if you know that you could drive through known hi-jacking hotspots.
According to the latest quarterly Tracker vehicle crime index, most hi-jackings take place in Gauteng, followed by KZN, Western Cape, North West, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape, Free State, Limpopo, and the Northern Cape. That list was in descending order, so the top 3 are Gauteng, KZN, and the Western Cape.
A more detailed breakdown of each province shows that you should avoid:
- Gauteng: Kensington, Arcadia, and Eldorado Park.
- KZN: Sydenham, Imbali, and Avoca Hills.
- Western Cape: Khayelitsha, Philippi, and Maitland.
Plan when you go
We’re going to look to Tracker’s vehicle crime index again to help you plan when to be out on the road, if it’s in your power to be that choosy. It seems that hi-jackers have preferred days and times for when they like to do their business.
The days for most hi-jackings include Saturdays and then Thursdays. The most popular times are for any day of the week (although on Saturdays and Thursdays, it’s likely that your risk is a bit higher) and they include the hours between 22:00 and 02:00 as well as between 20:00 and midnight.
Be on your guard
Be aware of your surroundings, especially when you’re approaching a red light. This way anything suspicious will stand out, like a person approaching your car from behind on foot with something pole-like in his hands or a car that’s been on your backside for a few blocks. If you feel like you’re being followed or approached, do what’s necessary to safely get to your nearest police station.
Leave a bit of space
We mentioned in the previous tip that you should do what you can to drive to your nearest police station if you’re being approached (or followed). This can be difficult if you’re at a red robot with a car in front of you. That’s why this tip is about leaving enough space between you and any car in front of you. Don’t box yourself in and always aim to give your car enough wiggle room so that you can make an emergency escape.
Ultimately, we want you to be safe out there. So in addition to these tips, we also want to encourage you to get car insurance that comes with roadside assistance and an emergency call line, like this insurer over here. By getting affordable car insurance, you can be assured of care and assistance when you need it most.
