Monday 29 August 2011

How to avoid driveway hijacking

 

How to avoid driveway hijacking


 

 

 

Modus Operandi used by the hijackers:

  • Most hijackings take place in the driveways of residential areas. These hijackers prefer areas with accessible escape routes.
If we understand and keep this modus operandi in mind, we can also change our driving behaviour to avoid becoming an easy target. We would like to discuss three of the situations where vehicle owners can act with increased caution.

How to avoid a hijacking situation:

Approaching and entering your driveway:
  • 2km from your house strategy. Be extra alert. Switch off the car radio and concentrate on your surroundings. If you have noticed any vehicle behind you, use the techniques you have learned during the hijack prevention & survival course to determine whether you are being followed.
  • Remember to stop your vehicle just on the inside of the gate and select reverse whilst waiting for the gate to close. This creates confusion and may buy you a few seconds for the gate to close completely behind you.
  • Check your driveway and street before you leave or enter your premises.
  • Make sure your driveway is well lit and clear from shrubbery where perpetrators can hide.
  • Be aware of unknown pedestrians close to your residential address – do not turn into your driveway – pass and go back later.
  • Liaise with your neighbours – know them.
  • Be aware of vehicles parked close to your address with occupants inside. It might be perpetrators observing the area.
  • Be alert if your animals do not greet you at the gate as usual. It might be that the perpetrators over-powered them.
  • Phone your home and ask for someone to make sure your driveway is safe and to open and close the gate for you.
  • When returning home after dark, ensure that an outside light is on, or have someone meet you at the gate. Check with your armed response company if they are rendering rendezvous services.
  • If at any time you have to open the gate yourself, switch off the vehicle, leave the key in the ignition and close the door. Then open the gate.
  • If you have small children in the vehicle, take the key with you (this is the only exception). You need the key as a “negotiating tool”. The perpetrators want your vehicle and you want your children.
  • If your children are older, it is advised that they exit the vehicle with you when opening the gate so that you are all separated from the vehicle should a hijack occur.
Parking your vehicle:
  • Check rear-view mirror to ensure you are not being followed.
  • When exiting your vehicle, be cautious and aware of surrounding obstructions and shrubbery that may be concealing a hijacker.
  • Never sit in your parked vehicle without being conscious of your surroundings. Sleeping in a stationary vehicle is particularly dangerous.
  • When approaching your driveway, be on the lookout for suspicious vehicles / persons. This is very important as the majority of hijackers approach their victims in home driveways.
Ensure exterior lighting is installed and that the exterior of the house is well lit, it is also worth considering demand lighting which is activated by a motion detector

Try to reduce any bushes or obstructions in the vicinity of your driveway as these act as good hiding places.

Ensure Chubb's emergency number is programmed into your telephone's speed dial and that your entire family know the number.Keep you panic button with you at all times! A Free Alarms consultant will gladly come to your home and access your situation.