A car hijacking is one of the most traumatic things that can happen to any motorist. This already-high-stress situation is made worse when you’re travelling with your child! How to keep them and yourself safe is worth knowing, considering the high rates of hijackings in SA.
In most cases, hijackers only want your car. But it’s unnerving to think that they might not notice a child in the backseat when rushing to force you out of your car. Do everything you can to protect your family while travelling on SA’s roads by reading these invaluable hijacking safety tips from Cartrack.
If you want to know how to keep your child safe in a hijacking, start with pre-emptive discussions with your kids. Alert them to the reality of a hijacking possibly occurring and what they should do if it does. Then follow best practices when it comes to car seats, panic buttons and post-hijacking vehicle recovery options.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If at all possible, always grab your child from the backseat BEFORE exiting the vehicle. If this isn’t possible, or if you feel it would be too dangerous, the following will guide you on how to get them out safely.
It’s not a fun conversation to have, but all parents and guardians should be open with their kids about the possibility of criminal activity while driving. This will prepare them for it if it does happen, which will result in a calmer reaction than if they’re caught off guard.
Detail how these hijackings are carried out, what tactics are used and how dangerous a situation like that could be. Tell your kids that a hijacking is no time to be a hero. When there are firearms involved, theirs and your lives are top priority.
Get your kids to imagine what they would feel if someone forced you out of your car while they sat in the backseat and could do nothing but watch. This won’t be comfortable for any child, but it will help them practice staying calm.
Explain to them why remaining calm is so important, and how volatile criminals can be when carrying out a hijacking. Let them know that fear can make people do strange things, so calmness is the safest option for maintaining a clear head at all times.
Kids should also understand that criminals want to avoid being identified after they’ve committed a crime. For this reason, eye contact should be avoided. For your kids, avoiding eye contact is also a safe way to ensure they don’t become overwhelmed when seeing someone holding a weapon.
If the child is old enough, make sure they know how to work their own seatbelt, door handle and door lock. This can save precious time in a hijacking because it means you won’t have to grab them out of the backseat—they can leave themselves and get to safety.
Practice this with them:
For parents, carseats should be installed in a safe way that gives you easy access to the buckle and the person sitting behind it. This means installing it behind your own seat, or in the middle of the backseat area. Make sure unbuckling the carseat’s seatbelt is an easy process, and won’t require a long time to decipher.
This is the most important tip for being hijacked with kids inside your vehicle. Don’t assume the hijackers know that there’s someone in the backseat—you might need to tell them. Do this in a calm way, but be assertive.
This is what you should say: “I’m taking my child.” Keep it short and to the point.
DO NOT do the following:
Simply state it as a fact that you will be taking your kids out from the backseat. More often than not, they’ll let you do so.
Having more than one child in the backseat is where this can become more stressful. You want to ensure everyone gets out of the car safely, and not all kids will be the same age or react in the same way.
As the driver, your responsibility is to get the youngest out first. Move to the door and grab anyone who is less likely to help themselves. If possible, allow all children to exit the same door you’ve just opened. This will make things go quicker. If there are kids old enough to open the other door and exit themselves, let this happen while you carry the youngest.
Children should be taught to practice the exact same safety tips in a hijacking that you yourself should be aware of. We’ve already covered exit strategies, but what should you and your children do once you’re all out of the car?
With this info firm in their minds, they should seek out the nearest adult for assistance.
Most people say they wouldn’t want their car back if it ever got stolen. But what they often fail to consider is what’s inside the vehicle when this happens. A child that’s been taken WITH the vehicle is unthinkable—but it happens.
This is why car tracking is such an important family safety precaution. With around 62 hijackings taking place in South Africa every day, it’s better to be prepared with a reliable vehicle tracking & recovery service than to be caught off guard.
Other measures can also be taken to enhance the security you get with tracking. Consider adding these to your Cartrack app.
it’s worth knowing what to do if a hijacking ever happens to you. We hear about these incidents all the time, but we often mistakenly think it will never happen to us. So if it does, here’s what you should keep in mind:
There’s never a 100% guarantee that you can keep your child safe during a hijacking incident, but you can take as many measures as possible to safeguard them. Learn the tips in this guide and teach them to your children, but also invest in technology designed to curb hijacking trends in South Africa.
Learn what to do when you’re in a hijacking and your child is in the car with you. Keep them and yourself safe with these hijacking tips for parents.
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