A South African e-hailing driver recently made headlines after outsmarting two hijackers, accelerating away until both suspects lost their grip and jumped from the moving vehicle. It is the kind of footage that spreads quickly when a driver faces armed criminals but emerges unscathed with his vehicle undamaged.
Yet, the very reason this incident made the news is also the reason it should not be treated as a blueprint. The CEO of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert, says: “It went viral because it is rare. For every clip of a driver escaping unharmed, there are significantly more cases where fighting back or resisting has ended in gunfire, serious injury, or death.
“While there are no specific statistics that show injuries or death from retaliatory responses or even attempts to escape, SAPS data historically shows that within incidents where a driver is shot (hundreds of cases annually), a notable portion involves a victim attempting to resist or draw a firearm.”
Additionally, Sabinet African Journals estimates that 81% of victims suffer physical trauma in a carjacking. “What percentage of this is because of evasive action is unclear. What is clear is that hijackers are typically armed and prepared to use force the moment they sense resistance.
“There are often also additional accomplices positioned out of sight, ready to intervene with violence if a driver tries to fight or flee. A dramatic escape can go right. Statistically, however, the instances of this are in the minority.”
This is precisely why MasterDrive consistently advises against confrontation. “Carjacking victims should not resist or argue, because a life is worth far more than any vehicle. Material objects like cars can be replaced with far less trauma and even costs but a life cannot. Taking a gamble believing you will be the exception not the rule, is a risky game to play.”
The more useful investment for drivers, is not a rehearsed getaway or fighting back fuelled by frustration over crime levels. “It is building situational awareness long before a threat materialises: noticing unfamiliar vehicles loitering within your vicinity, varying routes and routines, being alert at intersections and isolated stops, and trusting instinct enough to leave a situation before it escalates.
“Where a carjacking becomes unavoidable, training in how to extract oneself safely offers far better odds than improvisation under threat of armed and unpredictable criminals. Your potential of escaping physically unharmed by staying calm and complying will be significantly higher.”
In most carjackings, criminals want the vehicle, not the occupant. “Once the vehicle is handed over, most incidents end there. The driver who escaped by speeding away was lucky, but luck and skill are not safety strategies.
“Awareness and extraction knowledge is. Prioritising a calm, compliant exit over a dramatic one is not weakness but far more likely to get you home safely. A vehicle can be replaced but a life cannot,” says Herbert.
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