Man Fights Off Carjacker Lesson

Carjacking Can Happen to Anyone

Carjacking is a serious problem that catches motorists off guard because of the suddenness of the situation and the misguided notion that it only happens to drivers who look like an easy target.

However, it can happen to anyone at any time.

Years ago, I stopped at a traffic light waiting for it to change from red to green, when out of the blue my passenger side door was yanked open and a stranger jumped in saying something like “Hey man, thanks for the ride!”

Big mistake. I was just out of the military serving as a Peacekeeper at Titan II missile silos and I was not quite house-broken enough for civilian life just yet,

This was before concealed-carry licenses became a thing, but I did keep a police baton beside my seat within easy reach---to check tire air pressure with of course.

Without thinking, I reached for the baton and stuck the interloper in the forehead hard enough to send him flying back out of the car before he could have closed the door when first entering. He ran, my traffic light changed, and I drove on.

The point to this is that I am fairly certain I did not look like an easy target and that car jackings can happen at the most unexpected times.

Related article: Catalytic Converter Criminal You Would Not Expect

Caught on Camera

What prompted this memory was a recent Fox News report of an attempted car jacking taking place and caught on camera as a car owner stopped at a gas station to add air to his tires. While bent over putting the air nozzle to one of his tires, the owner heard his driver’s car door open and close. While I would never recommend confronting a car jacker by jumping into the car with him, I can understand the owner’s response.

To see how all of this turned out, here is the news video posted below:

Caught on Camera: Man fights off attempted carjacker in Hazel Dell

And finally…If there is one single piece of advice that is most important when it comes to cars, it is that of having “situational awareness” ---being aware of your surroundings and what is going on around you at all times.

In other words, don’t drive distracted, put your phone away; and in this case, whenever at a gas station make sure you are paying attention to what you and everyone else around you are doing.

This is especially relevant now according to an interesting article on the Art of Manliness dot com website about how car jackings are more prevalent now because of new car key fob technology that is making cars harder to steal the old school way where the criminal element waited until you parked and left your car behind. Now, it’s just a lot easier to steal a car if the owner is right there with his or her keys handy.

To learn more about the problem and what to do about it, be sure to check out the article linked above and find out just what you need to do to avoid and survive a carjacking.

For additional related articles about car safety and crime, here are a few for your consideration:

• It’s This Easy to Pick the Lock on a Ford Explorer

• Catalytic Converter Anti-Theft Products Reviewed

• Consumer Reports Recommended Anti-Theft Protection for Your Car, plus a Toyota Tundra Crazy Theft Story and How It Happened

Timothy Boyer is a Torque News automotive reporter based in Cincinnati. Experienced with early car restorations, he regularly restores older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites for daily new and used vehicle news.

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