Safeguarding Against Carjacking, Kidnapping, and Robbery on the Road: Strategies and Video Examples
- william demuth
- Jun 28
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 14
This comprehensive article delves into various scenarios of carjacking attacks, including high-speed driving, barricade breaching, escape maneuvers, and threat assessments. It provides a range of techniques to effectively evade and escape carjackings and other threats encountered while driving.
The importance of situational awareness is emphasized. Proactive measures can reduce the likelihood of becoming a victim of these opportunistic crimes.
Types of Threats While in an Automobile
Carjacking
Kidnapping
Robbery
Assault
Common Techniques Used by Attackers
Car Pinch
Staging Accidents
Bump and Run
Transition Point Attack - victims are targeted at stoplights, shopping malls, private driveways, and apartment complex parking lots.
Illegal Road Block
Car Jack
Pretending to be a distressed driver or person on the side of the road
During a carjacking, there are no rigid guidelines to follow; it's crucial to trust your intuition. Research indicates that women are often targeted more frequently, likely due to the perception that they may offer less resistance.
Additionally, 92% of carjacking victims are typically alone. Therefore, it is essential to avoid driving during late hours. Most carjackings in the US occur between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. In cases where carjackers approach a vehicle with children inside, they often fail to notice small children, prompting the immediate removal of children from the car for their safety.
Enhance and Master Behind-The-Wheel Situational Awareness
Improving situational awareness skills boosts your chances of survival significantly. Situational awareness does not mean living in constant fear. Instead, it involves gathering information from your surroundings, evaluating probabilities, and staying attentive. Developing good habits is key to positioning yourself advantageously. Here are some crucial driving rules to abide by:
Raise your awareness level.
Stay off the phone and radio.
Keep your hand on the shifter when stopping.
Practice high-speed J and K turns in an empty parking lot.
At high-risk areas, leave the car running and in gear.
Enter and exit the car quickly.
Be ready with keys when entering your car.
Check the passenger side and rear seat for threats before entering.
Look around before turning off the ignition when leaving the vehicle.
Keep doors and windows locked at all times; attackers can enter through unlocked areas.
Look for anomalies in your environment.
Create a plan for emergencies.
If traveling through dangerous areas, bring someone along. This significantly decreases the chances of an attack.
Leave ample space between your car and the one in front of you. This gives you escape routes when stopping.
Vary your routes whenever possible.
Use mirrors to watch for followers. If you suspect you’re being followed, call 911 and head to a police station.
Always park in well-lit areas.
Quickly get in your car, lock the doors, and drive away. If you must use your phone, scan your surroundings after you lock up.
Whenever you stop, leave your car in drive with your foot on the brake, and use mirrors to scan the surroundings before exiting.
Scan the area before getting out of your car. As you do this, leave your vehicle running and in drive with your foot on the brake. After ensuring safety, put the vehicle in park, turn it off, and exit.
Avoid parking next to vans backed up.
Become a Hard Target For Carjackers
Cultivating Self-Awareness Skills
Your goal is to make it challenging for attackers to target you. By being aware of your surroundings, you'll understand how you might appear to potential threats, which helps you become a tougher target. Criminals seek easy opportunities and avoid prolonged confrontations.
Stay vigilant at red lights and scan your surroundings thoroughly—pay special attention to the sides and rear. When stopping at a traffic light, maintain enough distance between your car and the one in front to allow for quick escape if necessary. Avoid parking near large trucks, vans, or obstructions that may hinder visibility for witnesses.
Vans are often used in abductions, so position the driver’s door opposite the van’s door when parking. If traveling with small children, be especially wary of parking near vans.
Opt for well-populated parking spots to ensure that many people can see your vehicle. Enter and exit your car confidently. Attackers often target those who appear vulnerable or distracted.
Drive With Purpose
Maintain a confident pace on your route while allowing the ability to execute evasive maneuvers. Your speed will vary based on comfort, so practice beforehand to find what works for you.
Developing personal situational awareness is as vital as mastering vehicle operation. Familiarize yourself with the last exit points on your route, and stay informed about the ongoing events on the road ahead. Continuously scan for potential hazards such as:
Bottlenecks
Crowds
Roadblocks
Obstacles in the road
Counter Carjack Technique: Illegal Roadblock or Barricade Breach
When faced with a roadblock, your first option is to stop and reverse while maintaining a low profile behind the car's firewall. If reversing is impractical, attempt to navigate around the roadblock, even if it means going off-road or onto the sidewalk.
If neither option works, you may consider breaching the roadblock. They are often made from vehicles, so target the lightest one available, like a car rather than an SUV. Focus on the trunk area of the blocking vehicle, aiming the edge of your car's frame with the axle closest to the trunk point of the target vehicle.
Car Pinch From Front Counter Technique
As you approach the soft point (4-5 feet away), release the accelerator to transfer weight to the front. When about 2 feet from the target, firmly reapply the accelerator. This surge should lift the front of your car and enable you to push the other vehicle out of the way.
Be cautious not to overcorrect the steering wheel after breaching. Continue moving without stopping for others and immediately call for help to ensure a swift and safe resolution.
Choosing the Softest Point of a Vehicle-Based Roadblock
Identifying the Weaknesses
In general, trunk areas of cars and light pickup trucks are good soft targets, particularly when they face perpendicular to you. If the trunk is facing you, it becomes riskier.
The most significant challenge of breaching is resisting the instinct to hit the brake. We are trained to avoid hitting other cars.
Counter Carjack Technique: Transitional Spaces Attacks
Transitional locations are hotspots for attacks. These include:
Pulling into driveways
Gate access points in front of homes or communities
Traffic lights
Stop signs
Crosswalks
Parking lots upon entering and exiting the car
Pedestrians crossing the street
In this context, an attack may occur when the driver pulls into a driveway. Attackers can then pull up behind the target vehicle, exit their vehicle, and threaten the driver at gunpoint. Awareness can allow the driver to reverse and back into the attacking vehicle.
The driver continues with high-speed reverse. Watch till the end to see bullet holes in the cars’ sheet metal.
In transitional space attacks, the driver often pulls behind the attacking car to block themselves in.
Counter Carjack Technique: Defending the Car Pinch
The car pinch is a prevalent carjacking-robbery technique worldwide. The attacking vehicle approaches from the front and blocks the target car's forward path. The target driver can turn sharply and accelerate, crushing the threat near the rear door.
If the path behind the target vehicle is clear, the high-speed reverse escape can also be very effective. Review the video on this page to see how a high-speed reverse escape is performed.
Another attack type involves a threat approaching from behind and turning in front of the target. The target driver can execute a high-speed reverse escape and K turn once far enough.
Combination of Road Block with Car Pinch
When approaching a stop sign, traffic light, or crosswalk, ensure you leave sufficient space between you and the car in front. Being bumper to bumper effectively barricades you in, making it more difficult to escape.
Leaving enough space between your car and the vehicle in front allows you to turn or escape if you observe a threat. Always have a plan for escape when nearing a transition point by locating potential paths for moving forward or in reverse.
In a life-or-death situation, all surfaces become drivable. Do not hesitate to use sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, or even run over a stop sign.
Counter Carjack Technique: High-Speed Reverse Escape
Keep a steady hand on the Transmission Shifter so you can quickly shift into reverse. At a stop, ensure you're aware of pedestrians and vehicles in traffic.
Shift quickly from drive into reverse, and accelerate beyond 45 feet (3-4 car lengths) from the starting point. Then perform a "J" or "K" turn.
Counter Carjack Technique: Bump and Run Carjack-Robbery
Criminals often use bump-and-run techniques to carjack or rob victims. The attacker bumps their car into the victim's car, prompting them to exit to exchange insurance information and inspect the damage. This creates an opportunity for the attacker or an accomplice to intimidate and rob the victim.
Counter Carjack Technique: Choosing Public Areas
If involved in an accident, always pull your vehicle into a well-lit area with people around. Continue driving with your flashers on until you find a safe public area. These flashers indicate that you will be stopping. If you feel the other driver is a potential threat, call law enforcement and stay in your vehicle with doors and windows secured until they arrive.
Pinched In Front and Rear
If you are pinched in from both the front and back, you can choose to ram the opponent's vehicle to create space.
Perform Threat Assessment of Unknown Routes
Conduct route surveys to establish a baseline for your situational awareness. This helps you anticipate potential attacks and navigate away from high-threat areas efficiently.
Stillness is Death
Movement and speed can be your greatest defenses. Speed makes it harder for attackers to use weapons or gain access to you and your vehicle. Never sacrifice your mobility.
Chose Not To Be a Victim
The significance of situational skills cannot be overstated when dealing with these attacks. Our primary focus should always be on escaping and evading. The attacks are often driven by opportunism; criminals are more likely to act if they believe they can escape unnoticed.
Situational awareness plays a pivotal role in determining the likelihood of an attack and its success. To protect ourselves, we must not provide attackers with the opportunities they seek. Stay vigilant and proactive in avoiding potential threats.
Violence Prevention and Conflict Management Resources
The Center for Violence Prevention and Self-Defense Training (CVPSD) is a non-profit organization. They focus on providing evidence-based training in violence prevention and self-defense. CVPSD offers customized programs that equip individuals and organizations with tools to enhance personal safety and contribute to violence prevention in their communities. The Center reaches individuals and communities through partnerships with schools, nonprofits, and community groups, and through classes open to the public.