Car Security
Avoiding Carjacking

Beginning with the most obvious risk to car security, picking up any hitchhiker is a prime example of dangerously careless compassion.

A woman was abducted and sexually assaulted after her car was hijacked by a man who had asked her for a ride.
Excerpted from The Hope Standard (Canada) – 20 September 2007

And remember that 13 percent of armed robbers are female:

The woman took pity on a seemingly helpless woman and 3-month-old child. While in the woman’s car, the suspect pulled a gun and fired. "She shot her at least twice in the chest," said an FBI agent. "Either the victim jumped out or was pushed out. The carjacker took control and took off."
Excerpted from The Memphis Commercial Appeal – 12 March 2007

A kidnapping and rape began as a woman was loading groceries into her car in the parking lot when a van drove up, and three men forced her inside.
Excerpted from WLKY-TV32 Louisville – 10 February 2004

A trip to the store turned traumatic for a woman when two men hiding in her unlocked SUV kidnapped her when she returned and climbed inside. "Just never let your guard down," she said. "Don't assume that because it's a low crime area that you can't be a victim."
Excerpted from The Durham Herald-Sun (NC) – 26 June 2004

Police said the rapist-carjacker targeted mothers because they were distracted while placing children in car safety seats. The abductions occurred outside church day-care centers, a church school, and a pediatrician's office.
Excerpted from The Miami Herald – 27 March 2003

If you have a baby with you while loading groceries into your car, position yourself so the open car door and cart surround (protect) you. Keep the baby in the cart until you finish loading the groceries. If loading into the trunk, have a convex mirror affixed inside your trunk lid so you can watch behind you. For extra car security, have a male store employee escort you and stay until you drive away.

To load your baby into your car (after loading the groceries, the baby goes in last), get into the rear seat with your baby, lock the doors, and buckle your baby into the safety-seat. Now look around, have pepper spray in hand, get out of the rear seat and into the driver's seat, again lock the doors, and immediately drive away. Always use this car security routine and it'll become second nature.

Pumping Gas with a Baby in Your Car: For car security, get several old, throw-away keys and put them on a small clip that attaches to your real keychain. Get in the habit of detaching the old keys from your keychain whenever you get out of your car to pump gas. If confronted by a carjacker, throw the old keys as far as possible. Hopefully, he'll chase them while you jump into your car, lock the doors, and drive away.

Always Keep Your Doors Locked (and windows closed)

Rudolph Wade abducted a woman when she drove to a store to get milk for her children. Wade entered the passenger side of her van, holding a gun to her head and ordering her to drive to where he raped her.
Excerpted from The Times-Picayune (New Orleans) – 19 October 2007

WOMAN ESCAPES ATTACK
A woman escaped a horrific attack after convicted felon Robert “Beast” Neal kidnapped her at knifepoint. ... The woman told police she went to a store, purchased cigarettes, and got back in her car when a man opened her [unlocked] passenger door, got in, put a knife to her throat and told her he would kill her if she didn’t do what he told her. ... He directed her to an abandoned house. Once inside, she said she ran from room to room trying to avoid his “crazed” attacks. [He then beat, stabbed, bound, and sexually assaulted her. Afterward,] she told him she was seriously hurt and thirsty. Neal then left the house to get water. The victim noticed the front door was open, freed herself from restraints, and escaped.
Excerpted from The News-Press (Fort Myers FL) – 18 September 2008 (See Escaping Carjacking to avoid being taken to a secondary crime scene where you have far fewer options and odds of survival.)

A man and his wife's 14-year-old brother dashed into a store to get some snacks. They left the car unlocked with the wife in the back seat changing the baby's diaper. When they returned, the car was gone. ... Hours later, the young woman was found dead in a field. The baby was nearby – barely alive and badly sunburned in the blazing sun.
Excerpted from The Hampton Roads Daily Press (VA) – 21 March 2004

For car security, though inconvenient, always, always, always lock your car – it's better than tempting a monster.

The man was parked near the Macy's department store waiting for his wife. A teen walked up to him and asked for the time. Suspicious, he got out of his car to go into Macy's but, before he could, the bandit attacked him from behind and stole his car.
Excerpted from The Journal News (Westchester NY) – 02 October 2004

Rudolph Zinn, a lecturer in forensic investigations, spent three years interviewing hijackers. "They use a pistol because the sound when you cock it terrifies the victim," Zinn said. "They want their victims to quietly submit and plead for their lives. They shoot if the victim doesn't follow instructions immediately. The moment they can't see the victim's hand, they will shoot rather than risk the person going for a gun." ... A small percentage of hijackers would shoot the driver no matter what. "They prefer to shoot the victim outside the car so they don't have to clean it later," added Zinn. ... For car security: Always notice people near your car. Hijackers will rather look for another target because you are on guard and can drive off or take out a firearm. Keep the vehicle ready for a quick getaway. ... When approaching your parked vehicle, take note of suspicious-looking people loitering nearby and walk past if anything appears unusual. ... Some hijackers give the target vehicle a light bump with another car from the rear. When the victim gets out to inspect the damage, he or she is held up at gunpoint. ... Car security systems, immobilisers, alarms, etc. did not serve as deterrents in selecting a target vehicle. They said that if these systems were advertised on the windows, it would lead to the driver being taken hostage along with the vehicle in case the vehicle cuts out along the way, the victim can be forced to deactivate it.
Excerpted from The Pretoria Star (SA) – 22 July 2003

Heading home after a half-morning “hijack orientation” course at the car security Killarney Training Centre, I spot a surprising number of sitting ducks. There’s the guy with both back windows wound halfway down and the doors obviously unlocked. Then there’s the woman talking on her cellphone, blissfully unaware of anything around her. ... I’m keeping my eye on that cluster of men, all the while checking my rear- and side-view mirrors for anything suspicious behind me. I’m trying for pole position at the traffic light and if I don’t make it, I’ll stop at least 5 metres from the car in front of me. For a quick getaway, of course. The best way to minimise the risk of a hijacking is to begin cultivating habits that become as natural as putting on your seatbelt. ... You see a guy at a traffic light coming towards you with his hand in his pocket. You decide that your trigger point is going to be when he is one metre away. When he reaches that point you have to execute your planned action, which may be to take a gap over an island or jump the traffic light.
Excerpted from The Pretoria News (SA) – 05 September 2003

For car security in the US (where you drive on the right-hand side of the road), to somewhat lessen the danger of "jumping the traffic light," take a right turn into cross-traffic.

For complete car security, see
• Car Security - Overview
• Avoiding Carjacking (YOU’RE NOW ON THIS PAGE): being alert and prepared.
• Escaping Carjacking: the best strategies.
• Car Ambushes: traps and escapes.
• Road Rage: avoiding a lunatic.
• Recap of Car Security.
• Pepper Spray & Devices.

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Car Security - Overview
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