What Vehicle Crime Costs SA
According to the vehicle tracking company, Tracker, around R8.5 billion worth of vehicles are stolen and hijacked in South Africa every year. With his figure in mind, vehicle crimes quite obviously occur far more often than we may think, and affect not only the economy, but also people’s lives. Around R45 billion is spent by South Africans on their private security each year, which clearly states that South Africans are highly aware of protecting their assets, such as their vehicles. As vehicle crime costs South Africa a great deal each year, here’s a brief look into the state of vehicle crime in South Africa, and how you can best protect your vehicle from theft.
Vehicle crime entails theft and hijacking. Vehicle registrations may then be cloned for resale, and vehicles may be used as getaway vehicles for additional crimes, taken across the border and sold in neighbouring countries, used to obtain spare parts or stolen purely because it is a desired vehicle. According to Hippo.co.za’s article on What you should know about hijacking in SA, 36% of stolen vehicles are filtered back into South Africa as they are seen as luxury items wanted by those unable to afford them.
When victims are selected as targets, criminals look at a number of factors that might come into play. From whether you’re likely to resist an attack or break-in, and what your routine looks like, to whether or not your vehicle is easy to access or not, criminals will watch your activity in order to identify whether you will be an easy target or not. While it’s not fun to think about whether you might be a target, it’s always good to be aware of how to make yourself less vulnerable. Below are a few ways to keep your vehicle safe.
Be aware of where you park over the weekend
CEO of Catrack SA, Andre Ittmann, reveals that vehicle theft increases over weekends, as more vehicles are parked in the streets for longer periods of time. This makes the chances of a break-in or theft much higher. Take extra care not to park your vehicle in a secluded area when you go out on the weekend, and ensure your alarm system is in perfect working order.
Don’t leave expensive or sentimental items visible in your vehicle
While it’s never a good idea to leave valuables in your vehicle, if you happen to have them in your vehicle while out, ensure they are hidden from sight. Place any valuables in your boot or cubby hole, to prevent any chancers spotting them.
Ensure your vehicle is locked before walking away
With the prevalence of signal jamming increasing, always manually check that your vehicle is locked after using your remote. Signal jamming is the blocking of wireless signals used by a remote to lock a vehicle. Jamming a device prevents the vehicle being locked as you walk away, allowing someone to access your vehicle.
Vehicle crime costs South Africa billions of Rands per year and, while it’s not a reality we’d prefer to face, we live in a country where we have to be more aware of how we safeguard our vehicles.