How to Avoid Being Carjacked

Carjacking is a very serious crime that can be very dangerous and can happen to anyone, no matter where you are. You cannot completely stay away from all the dangers, but there are some things that you can do to make it happen less that you will become a victim.

Carjacking is when someone forcefully or by scaring others takes away their car; this can be very dangerous and can also lead to people being kidnapped, hurt, or even killed. The most important thing to do to keep yourself safe is always be watchful and know what is happening around you. The best way to avoid this dangerous situation is to be careful and learn how to stay safe before anything bad can happen to you or your family members. In this article, we will talk about simple and helpful ways to keep yourself safe and avoid carjacking.

Methods to Avoid Carjacking

In this paragraph, we will discuss methods that we can use to avoid carjacking and can also increase our chances of surviving in this situation.

• Keeping Your Car Ready
  Make sure that your car is always in good shape and always has enough gas; do not wait until the fuel indicator shows "E-Empty" because that does not mean there is enough to get you where you need to go. Having a full tank and a well-maintained car is very important. If your car is not working properly and breaks down, it can make you an easy target for carjackers, and this can be a very bad situation. Check your tyres every month and before you go on a trip. See if they are worn out or not, damaged, or need more air; keeping your car in good condition helps keep you safe from dangers, and this can also help when you need your car to outrun dangerous situations.
• Lock Car and Windows Up
  Always lock your car doors and keep the windows up, whether you are inside the car or you have parked it somewhere; make it a habit to lock the doors right after you get into your car and as soon as you step out, as these simple activities can help you to keep you and your objects safe from possible dangers.
• Keeping Valuable Items in Trunk
  Try not to leave your valuable items where others can see them inside your car; if you have things like a purse or shopping bags, it is much safer to put them in the trunk where people cannot easily see them, but inside the car, it can be seen through the windows that can attract danger. Do not leave money in plain view, even if it is just a small amount. When you are driving, try to put valuable things on the floor instead of the seats; this makes them less visible in case you need to stop and cannot put them in the trunk for some reason and attracts less danger. Keeping your valuables out of sight helps protect them from being taken or people noticing them.
• Know Your Neighbours
  Get to know your neighbours; being familiar with the people around you (neighbours) can help you notice if there is a strange car or person nearby your place, if you see someone you do not know hanging around, or if a car that seems out of place driving around your neighbourhood, it is considered "suspicious activity." In this condition, try not to go home, let the local police know about it, and drive around the block; return on your way home or office only when that person has gone away.
  Reporting unusual things happening in your neighbourhood to the police can sometimes help make your neighbourhood safer, and it is important to work together to keep the community a better place for everyone.
• Keep Your Way Clean and Well-Lighted
  Make sure your driveway is bright; add lights to your driveway and garage. Do not have too many bushes or big plants near your driveway; use different types of lights like ones on the ground, LED lights, solar lights, or hanging lights along your driveway. If it is usually foggy where you live, choose those lights that can be seen without making it hard to see through the fog. For ground lights, put them at least a foot apart from each other and arrange them in a pattern. A bright and open driveway helps you see better and stops bad things from happening, making your home safer. It can also be helpful to record in cameras.
• Keep Your Car in the Garage and Well-Locked
  If you can keep your car in a locked garage, then you must put your car inside and lock the garage door. Just closing the automatic garage door may not always stop thieves. Some thieves can use wire hooks to open the garage doors, and this can be a dangerous situation. To stop this, make a shield with a piece of wood and attach it to the release mechanism inside your garage using two Brad nails. You can also secure the release mechanism with a twist tie; for extra safety, use a t-handle or slide lock on your garage door. The t-handle lock has its key, and a slide lock can be used with a padlock. These steps can help you make sure that your car and garage are safer.
• Be Alert While Cleaning and Warming Up your Car in Cold Weather
  Be careful when warming up your car in cold weather; if you have to do this in winter, use another set of keys. This way, you can keep your car locked while it warms up. Bad people can take these opportunities to steal cars that are unlocked and turned on; doing this helps you to make sure your car will not be taken when you leave it turned on to warm up.

Take Measures or Precautions

• Plan Your Route Before Travelling
  Plan your routes carefully, and decide where you should go before you leave, even if it is just in your town. Please do not ask for directions, as it might tell bad people that you are not paying attention or you are not from a nearby place. Plan for your route and any stops you need to make; choose the fastest routes and change your routine so bad people cannot predict what you will do next; planning your route before and being less predictable can help you to keep yourself and your car safe.
• Avoid Going to Unknown Places and Unwanted Stops
  Please do not go to places where it can be dangerous (as there are some places which have some bad people), and also avoid driving in areas you are not familiar with. Stay away from places with a lot of crime; do not go to rural places where only some people go and places where there is so much traffic. Use a map app that can help you such places with a lot of crime; if you see many broken cars, liquor stores, graffiti, check-cashing places (ATM), or skid marks on the road, you may be in the wrong place or neighbourhood. It is smart to be careful and stay away from these areas, so plan before travelling.
• Carefully Park Your Vehicle
  Be really careful when you park near stores; a survey says 25% of carjackings happen in parking lots, garages, or near shops (that is a big number). Park close to the building's main door and where there is lots of light, not in areas with walls or big plants, and do not stay in the car to check receipts or talk on the phone. Get in, lock up, and go. Do not put on your seatbelt while leaving a spot; if something happens, you might need to get out fast. Instead, put your seat belt on once you are out of that place and ready to drive. In parking garages, park near the exit and back into the spot; it is easier to drive forward than backward in an emergency; these steps can help you to stay safer when parking near stores.
• Try to Stay Connected All the Times
  Always carry a cell phone or radio, and also try to keep a GPS in your car or use a GPS app on your phone in case you get lost; make sure your cell phone is fully charged, even if it does not have a service plan. You can still use it to call 911 if you need help; remember, if your call to an emergency operator gets cut off and you do not have a wireless provider, you have to call back because they cannot call you. It is very important to have a mobile phone to talk and find your way for your safety.

Staying Alert

• Checking Your Review and Back Mirrors
  Check your mirrors to see if someone is following you, and if you think someone is or is following, then make turns that might confuse them. Also, try to watch the number plate of that car; if they keep following you, go can go to the nearest police station for help. This can keep you safe if you feel someone is following you.
• Stay Alert at Intersection Points
  Be careful at intersections; you should try to stay in the middle lane and not use your phone or radio while driving. You should look around through your mirrors and windows and try to keep some space between your car and the one in front of you. This helps if the car stalls or if someone suspicious comes near. Try to keep about half the length of your car space between you and the car which is ahead of you. This way, you can move out if you need to. As a simple rule, you should be able to see the back tyres of the car in front of you, by being aware and keeping space helps you stay safe while you are driving.
• What to Do When a Car Bumped Behind You
  You should know what to do if your car is hit from behind. It is a trick that bad people use called "The Bump," and they purposefully hit cars from behind and try to steal them when the drivers come out to check for damage. If your car is bumped from behind, only stop and get out when you are in a safe or in a public place; otherwise, try to stay inside your car with the doors locked and windows closed. Signal to the other driver to follow you and drive to the nearest police or fire station; if the other driver does not follow you, remember their license plate number. These things can help you stay safe if someone hits your car from behind and you get that something is not right after a bump from behind.
• Do Not Get Outside the Car if Something is placed on Your Car's Windshield.
  If you see something under your windshield wiper or on the windshield, do not get out of your car to remove it or see what it is. Bad people sometimes put money or fliers there to trick you into leaving your car after unlocking it, and when you go out to grab it, a carjacker might get into your car or threaten you, and that can be dangerous. Stay inside your car, and be careful if you see something under your windshield wiper.
• Be aware of Attention Seekers (Strangers)
  Be careful if someone (a stranger) tries to get your attention. Sometimes, carjackers might pretend to need help. If someone is flashing their lights and telling you to stop or seems hurt and asks for help, do not stop; if someone is trying to tell you about a problem with your car, keep driving and stop in a safe public place to check, if someone seems hurt and needs help, call the authorities or go to the nearest police or fire station to tell them what you saw. Being careful in these situations helps you stay safe.
• Be Aware of Surveillance Trap
  Be very careful in gated communities not to fall into traps, as most of the carjackings happen within 5 miles of your home. Carjackers might watch for cars returning to gated places and try to trap you before the gate opens. If you are coming home, wait on the street until the gate opens so a car cannot block you. If you are visiting someone in a gated place, call ahead to have the gate opened; doing these things can help you stay safe and avoid problems with carjacking in gated areas.
• Do Not Stop Isolated ATMs or Phone Booth
  Do not stop at phones or money machines (ATMs), which are placed in lonely places; if you have to use a drive-thru ATM, have your ATM card ready, keep your car in drive, and get as close to the ATM as you can, but before stopping check your rearview mirror to know what is around you and stay away from lonely payphones, newspaper machines, and parking lots. Doing these things helps make you safe when you travel some ATMs or Phone Booths.

Always stay alert, as incidents can happen to anyone at any time. But it is your quick thinking and situation observation skills that can help you in these situations.

Conclusion

Indeed, we cannot predict every danger, but being proactive and aware of your safety really can help you to avoid carjacking. Stay alert to what is happening around you, pick well-lit parking spots, and take simple precautions; doing these things makes you safer and less likely to be a target. Remember, staying safe is something we all need to do together, and by taking these steps, we can make the world safer for everyone, so keep an eye out and stay safe.