The difficulty in obtaining factual information on this crime lies in the way local and state agencies report it; is it a car theft, an assault, vandalism, armed robbery, etc. etc? In March of 1994, as part of the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), the Bureau of Justice Statistics division released a report on Carjackings (NCJ-147002). The following excerpts will help give you a perspective. One thing we do know, the incidence of carjackings is increasing, especially in areas of high unemployment. People standing by the side of the road asking for food, work or money of commuters is becoming commonplace, even in some affluent areas. You can only guess at what goes through their minds as these people see luxury car owners with their jewelry, briefcases and other valuables within easy reach stopped at traffic lights talking on the mobile phones and paying zero attention to their surroundings.

The proof of this claim can be drawn from the parallels evident in Mexico City. When the peso was allowed to float last year, the resulting devaluation of their currency almost immediately placed another 500,000 people out of work (Kroll & Associates: Crime Trends in Latin America, 1995). Carjackings became an overnight cottage industry in this city and according to Palmer & Associates with the rate of 60 incidents PER DAY just in the city. It's just too easy to smash a car window; it requires little effort and when glass is flying around the interior of the car, passengers are disoriented and easily controlled.

We have personally witnessed teenagers roaming parking lots in shopping malls equipped with spring-loaded center punches that can be purchased from hardware stores for under $10.00. They are looking for unattended cars with phones or other visible valuables. They can just place this center punch against the glass side window, trip the spring and the glass implodes, making very little noise and usually not even setting off expensive alarms. They simply reach in, get the goods and walk away. This easy success can plant seeds for escalation to carjacking.

Here's what the Department of Justice NCVS detailed:

• Between 1987-1992, carjackings accounted for 2% of the 1,900,000 vehicle thefts per year nationally. An average of 35,000 completed and attempted carjackings took place in each of these years; 52% of the attempts were successful in stealing the victim's vehicle.
• In each of these years, 2 of every 10,000 Americans age 12 or older were victims of a completed or attempted carjackings. Men were three time as likely as women to be victims.
• Only 6 out of ten attempts were reported to police; 9 out of 10 successful carjackings were reported.
• A weapon was used in 77% of all carjackings. The offender was armed in 82% of the completions and 71% of the attempts. Handguns were the most common weapon used.
• Victims were injured in 24% of the completed incidents and 18% of the attempts.
• About two thirds of all carjackings occur in the evening or at night. 58% of carjackings at night and 45% of those during the day were successful. 29% took place in a parking lot or garage and 45% took place on the street. 18% occurred at or near a victim's home.
• 41% of carjackings were committed by lone offenders, 54% by two or more and in 5% the number of offenders was unknown.
• Completed and attempted carjackings accounted for 3% of ALL robberies. Carjackings with property loss of at least $1000 represented 22% of robberies with losses of $1000 or more.

Urban areas are twice as likely as suburban areas for carjacking and ten times as risky as rural areas (carjackings per 1000 residents age 12 or older: Urban=.31, Suburban=.17, Rural=.03)

For more information and methodology see "Criminal Victimization in the United States, 1991, December 1992", NCJ-139563

The Main weapon you have to avoid carjackings is awareness and planning. We have included tips from the Florida Attorney General's office on another page and we recommend you read the Color Code System in the Scotti School newletter on this site.

Some other tips received from site visitors:

• For women driving alone at night, keep a baseball cap in the car. If you wear it, it's difficult to tell your gender from a moving vehicle and may divert a perpetrators' attention to someone else more easily identified.
• Vary your routine. If you regularly work late downtown, vary your departure time and routes to your destination. Don't be distracted by your radio or cellular phone while in risky areas; leave them off until you reach a safer locale.
• According to Tony Scotti, always leave enough room between you and the car in front of you at an intersection or traffic light that you can see the rear tires of the car in front. This will leave enough room for you to maneuver if you have to get away rather than being boxed in. And don't be afraid to run a light or use the shoulder or sidewalk to drive away (assuming they're clear); a ticket is better than a hospital stay.

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