Carjacking: it used to be something on the news in far flung places like South Africa or the United States, but it has recently travelled across oceans and begun to take place in Ireland. At the time of writing there have been five reported carjackings in the country within the past month. While hardly reaching epidemic proportions it is a worrying trend and one that is worth protecting against. But what do you do when someone goes Grand Theft Auto on you and tries to pull you out of your car?
In fairness, if someone has you by the scruff of the neck and is pulling you out of the driver seat there is not a lot else to do other than make sure you and your occupants escape unharmed, but there are a lot of things that can be done to protect yourself from becoming the victim in the first place.
Before getting into the car
While it is unlikely that someone will be lying in wait in the back seat when you return to your car it is still worthwhile having a glance in the rear before opening the driver's door. Perhaps you did not lock the car before running into the newsagent and an opportunist thief decided to help themselves, only to find that hotwiring a car is not as easy as Hollywood makes out. At this point most would-be-thieves will leave your car (perhaps having rooted through the glovebox for valuables), but some determined criminals may jump into the back seat for you to return with the keys - so have a quick look.
Also be aware of people in or around your car when you return. Is there someone kneeling down trying to conceal themselves? Are there people sitting in nearby cars? These could be completely innocent people - perhaps that kneeling man is tying his shoelace or checking tyre pressures and perhaps that sitting-in-car-couple are enjoying some fast food, but the fact that you have seen them and registered them means you are likely to be safer than someone who has not been so vigilant.
In the car
When you do get into your car don't take that opportunity to text your other half or make that call as, if you are like most people, you will probably have the key in the ignition (where else are you going to put it?) and are not paying attention to your surroundings. Also, because you have not started driving, the car's automatic lock feature (if fitted) won't have kicked in so the doors are likely to be unlocked. Best to get into the habit of locking doors as soon as you get in and pulling out of the parking space as soon as you can - that call or text can wait five minutes until you are out of range of any would be carjackers who were lying in wait.
On the road
Now that you are on the move it is time to think defensive. Whether you did it or your car did it for you the doors should be locked and should remain so until you reach your destination - the windows too. If it is a warm day or the windows are fogged up, open them a crack but no more than a wrist's width.
In traffic, look around for possible avenues of escape. Hopefully you will never need to use them but it is good practice to leave about half a car's distance between you and the car in front to manoeuvre should you need to. A simple rule of thumb is that you should be able to see the rear tyres of the vehicle in front of you when stopped.
When at a standstill, use your rear and side view mirrors to stay aware of your surroundings and the people around you. Carjackers are more likely to come from behind or beside you than towards the front of the car.
The ploys
Of course carjackers are not entirely stupid and realise that the 'grab someone at the traffic lights' ploy does not always work so have come with a number of other schemes. The three main ones, as detailed by the U.S. Department of State, are:
The Bump: the attacker bumps the victim's vehicle from behind. The victim gets out to assess the damage and exchange information. The victim's vehicle is taken.
Good Samaritan: the attacker(s) stage what appears to be an accident. They may simulate an injury. The victim stops to assist, and the vehicle is taken.
The Ruse: the vehicle behind the victim flashes its lights or the driver waves to get the victim's attention. The attacker tries to indicate that there is a problem with the victim's car. The victim pulls over and the vehicle is taken.
The Bump and The Ruse are relatively easy to avoid - no matter what, do not jump out of your car there and then into the waiting arms of the criminal. Indicate for the other party to follow you and pull into a well-lit, public area such as a petrol station forecourt or (if you are lucky) a nearby police station. DO NOT allow the other party to dictate where you go. If it is a legitimate accident it is you who has been 'wronged' and you who should determine a convenient place to pull over.
In the case of the Good Samaritan, as difficult as it may be at times you are safer driving by and calling emergency services at the earliest opportunity providing as much detail as possible for the dispatcher.
Get out
So you have followed all the advice, driven defensively and still find yourself sitting beside a maniac determined to relieve you from your car - don't knock yourself, it can happen. What you need to do now is make sure you get out of the vehicle with everything that you need to feel safe. If there are children in the back let the carjacker know, as they are perhaps so fixated with your car that they did not even notice them. If you can get your phone out too, it will be the first thing you use to call the police/insurance company/family and friends. Of course if you have your phone on the passenger seat or cradle it may be one of the things that attracted the thief to your car rather than the one behind you so this may not always be possible.
Make sure that your car keys and house keys are not on the same key ring. Yes it is convenient to keep everything together, but not only is the added weight slowly doing damage to your car's ignition, but the carjacker now also has your house keys. In itself this is no great issue; unless you have your address written on the key ring they will have no way of finding where you live, but if you cannot get your handbag/wallet out of the car, or if you are the type of person who leaves their driving licence or anything else with an address on it in the car (again DON'T) then they do.
Call for help
Assuming you have got the kids/keys/phone/wallet/purse out of the car, hand the car keys over to the (not very) nice man and get out of the car. It is insured, it is replaceable. You are not. Get to safety and call the authorities giving them a full description of the car (including registration plate), the attacker, the location and approximate direction they went once you left the car.
Avoidance is the best way to prevent an attack. Be aware of your surroundings and know safe areas to go to in case of an emergency, but most of all stay calm. Carjackers are only interested in your car (and perhaps your phone/wallet) and while some of us can become irrationally attached to our cars it is, at the end of the day, an inanimate object that is much easier to part with than your life so get what you need out of the car and do not try to thwart the criminal; just make sure you and yours are safe.