From:
http://offgridsurvival.com/car-jacked/Carjacking has become one of the top crimes in the country. Learn how experts say you can prevent or survive being carjacked.
Carjacking Facts:
* The Department of Justice reports that there are about 49,000 per year.
* Ninety-three percent occur in cities or the suburbs.
* 92% of carjackings are committed when the victim is alone in their car.
* 90% of carjackings involved the use of a weapon.
* Most happen near the victims home or work.
Approaching your Vehicle - When approaching your vehicle awareness is your best weapon.
* Stay alert – Stay alert to what is going on around you
* Keep your keys ready when walking out to your car.
* Look around in your car before getting in
* Watch out for people who are loitering, asking for direction, looking for money or cigarettes, or handing out fliers.
* Trust you instincts – If something seems out of place go back to where you came from or quickly get in your vehicle and lock the doors
While Driving - Your best line of defense when you are driving is to make it as hard as possible for criminals to enter your vehicle
* Keep your doors locked, windows up and sun roofs closed.
* When coming to a stop leave enough room between you and the vehicle in front to be able to quickly maneuver around the vehicles if trouble should arise
* Driving in the center lane can make it harder for criminals to box you in, and can give you more avenues to escape.
When reaching your destination:
* Park in a well lit area near the buildings entrance and around other vehicles.
* Avoid parking near wooded areas, large vans and trucks, or anything that hides your visibility.
* Never leave valuables in plain view for anyone to see.
* Look around before you get out of your vehicle. It may also be a good idea to make a loop around the parking lot to check our the situation before parking.
If someone attempts to jack your car:
* Never get in the car with the criminal, it’s better to lose the car than to lose your life.
* If they have a gun… Run. Statistics show that if you run you have somewhere around a 90% chance of being safe. If you get in the vehicle you probably have a 100% chance of something bad happening.
* If you are forced to drive, one option could be to buckle up and consider crashing your car near a busy intersection and hope for the car jacker to fly into the window. Then get out of the car and run like hell.
