WATCH: Durban vehicle hijacked in under 30 seconds!

If you look at recent statistics you’ll discover that your chances of being hijacked in South Africa are pretty high.

This video is just one example of the 40 hijackings that occur in South Africa, daily. The vehicle was hijacked in Mobeni Durban over the weekend (5 November 2016) and it all happened in a matter of seconds!

When the latest crime stats were released in September 2016, the news was not encouraging, says MD of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert. Most crime categories saw increases yet the hijacking of cars saw the greatest increase. Hijackings increased by 14.3%, an almost seven times greater increase than any other category. This means approximately 40 cars are hijacked every day. In the face of these figures it might be time to recap on what to do to avoid being hijacking and how to react if you are.

Also read: POLL: Have you been a victim of a hijacking in the last 6 months? 

Avoiding

While the majority of hijackings do occur outside your home, it is important to remember this is not the only place. A large percentage of hijackings occur at intersections which is why drivers should be as aware at intersections as what they are when arriving home.

According to the MD of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, many drivers are caught unaware. “Keep an eye on people at intersections. Be careful of people who might be trying to distract you. Never disregard someone because they are well dressed. Most hijackers are the well-dressed, inconspicuous people possibly reading newspapers at the corner.”

Reacting

If you are approached by a hijacker keep your hands visible at all times. Herbert also recommends knowing what to do in a hijacking before it happens especially if you have children. “Decide on a key word which will galvanise your children into action. Their objective should be to get to the driver as quickly as possible.

“Older children should help younger children to the front and they should safely follow the adult out the same door. Vacating the driver’s seat to unbuckle children from the back leaves too great an opportunity for the hijacker to slip into that seat and drive off before your children are safely out,” says Herbert.

The most important tip is to do what the hijacker tells you to. “Your life is not worth the price of your car. The main thing that both of you want is for the hijacker to be gone as quickly as possible. Every reaction you have during a hijacking should be with the aim of ending the interaction as soon as possible.”

If you would like to find out what you can do to try avoid being hijacking or how to react in one if you cannot, contact MasterDrive on 086 110 0618. They have anti-hijack courses which are facilitated by professionals with firsthand experience with hijackings.

Source: MasterDrive and YouTube