How to avoid a hijacking

• Always be alert ? but especially near gates, driveways and garages. Get to know who belongs in the vicinity of your home or work. If the situation looks unsafe ? suspicious people, vehicles and loiterers ? rather drive past and return later. Ensure that your gate and driveway are well lit after dark.
• Remove the keys and lock the car when stopping to open a gate.
• Look out for suspicious people while driving in deserted areas or when stopping at intersections.
• Drive away quickly when a suspicious person approaches. To make for an easier getaway in a threatening situation, try to stop a few metres behind the car in front at traffic lights and stop signs.
• Lock doors, close windows and wear your seatbelt to make it more difficult for hijackers to pull you out of your car. Never open your window or door for any stranger.
• Vary your route to all the places you regularly visit, such as work or the gym.
• Make sure you're not being followed. If you suspect someone is on your tail, drive to a public area or nearest police station. Avoid quiet areas, especially at night.
• Keep valuables out of sight. Avoid wearing flashy jewellery or anything that can be easily seen from a distance by a casual passer-by.
• Service your car regularly to make sure it's running well.
• If someone indicates there's something wrong with your car, don't stop. Drive on and check your car at a safe spot like a police station.
• Have enough petrol for the trip. And, if you have the choice, rather fill up during the day. Separate your petrol cap key from your car keys, so you can drive off if in danger at the service station.
• Keep your house keys and car keys on separate fobs. Don't put your name, address or car registration on the key ring, or leave personal documents (like telephone accounts) in the car. You may have someone waiting for you when you get home.
• If your car breaks down, use your cellphone to call for help or drive to a safe place ? even if you can only go slowly. Don't flag down passing motorists to help you.
• Don't get out of your car to remove obstacles like rocks or tree trunks that are blocking the road. Rather turn around and take a different route.
Make sure that someone knows where you are at all times. Phone ahead if possible to let the person know at what time you expect to reach them.

Yet, no matter how careful you are, there's always the chance that you're going to be one of the 39 people to be targeted today. The key, says Steenkamp, is to stay as calm as possible.

What to do if you're a victim

• Don't resist, regardless of how outraged you are. The safety of yourself and your passengers is the top priority. Your car's useless if you're dead.
• Don't alarm the hijackers in any way ? they're already on edge. Any sudden movements could be mistaken for you reaching for a gun or panic button. So keep your hands visible and as still as possible ? explain where valuables are, rather than point them out. Preferably keep your hands at chest level: raising them above your head may be seen as a signal for help.
• Listen carefully to the hijackers' demands so that you can understand exactly what they want from you.
• Answer their questions honestly. If a hijacker suspects you've lied, especially when it comes to guns, he's more likely to get physically violent.
• Try to create a mental image of your attackers so that you might ID them later. But don?t be obvious ? stare blatantly at them and they're less likely to release you for fear of being identified later.
• If there's a baby in the car they haven't noticed, tell the hijackers. Explain that driving off with your baby will make things more difficult for them and that the child is no threat. But don't go for the baby yourself ? ask the hijacker if they can fetch your child.
• Contact the police as soon as possible.