12 Anti Carjacking Tips 

And the number one tip to prevent carjacking: buy a s*** car.

I heard driving a manual car works in America

driving a manual is a great anti theft system if you live in north america

Bonus Tip: Don’t drive around Liverpool unless you look like Jason Statham

I think it’s motorcyclists that are most at risk of being robbed while on the move in the UK, especially in London with these gangs on scooters going around.

Always have two ex special forces soldiers in the boot. Andy England 🇬🇧👍

The fact that this even has to be a video is shocking. So many thieving scumbags who've never worked a day in their lives trying to take other peoples hard earned goods.

Menu system? I've only just got around to electric windows 🤣

For #10, while it’s illegal to use your phone while driving, there are exemptions in law where you can use your phone in an emergency. Being followed like this would fall under that exemption

Have your keys ready to get straight in, don't fumble around in bags or pockets.

I did have an attempted car jacking many years ago, only a few months after passing my test. I was driving through a very dodgy part of Walsall late at night, I could see three dodgy looking blokes by a crossing, a good distance down the road, I slowed down and surely enough, they pressed the button as I got closer, they’d had plenty of time to cross beforehand, I was the only car in sight and it was obvious they want to stop me… I stopped quickly, a distance back from the crossing and as I did, they came towards, one holding a knife and another had a hammer… I quickly backed up far enough to take a good run at them… they soon jumped out of the road when they realised they were about mowed down at speed… they never managed to put a finger on the car but it still frightened the life out of me. Nothing like that has happened since thankfully.

I was followed on the road between Thame and Aylesbury a few years back, white Fiesta with no number plate on the front, that’s what got my attention at first. They kept trying to overtake me and when I got to the roundabout in Aylesbury I circled it multiple times so I knew definitely was being followed. Dialled 999 told them what was happening and said that I was going to head towards Aylesbury Police Station and took a route that had no traffic lights so I wouldn’t have stopped. When I got to the roundabout by the police station I think the person behind knew what I was doing at that point and headed off in a different direction.

A petrol station is a good place to head - ideally 24 hour one - it'll always be open and have loads of CCTV. Much easier to find than an open police station.

I stopped a car jacking last year, agreed not advisable but as I was in uniform and had a bright yellow steering brace to hand I guess the people thought better of it. Again not advisable but sure made me feel good watching the rats run away empty handed

I am a taxi driver in London and these tips are really good considering the dangerous neighbourhoods that I am driving through.

Buy a crap car, that usually works lol

You missed an important one from the other jacking vid... Don't drive home

You can always attract everyones attention around you by continually giving blasts on the horn.

Some cars also have a setting in the menu to only unlock the drivers door with the key or remote as well

I don't understand people posting location on their public social media. "Sarah has checked into the fancy restaurant, with her husband, that is an hour drive away, feel free to go ransack their house!" People are too obsessed with receiving praise and attention, or letting people know that they have an active social life. If you park correctly, with your car ready to drive out (not having to reverse out) you still may be a target, because the carjacker can make a quicker getaway, so just lock your doors after immediately getting in the car. It is a good habit to develop.

Good points I will add few more I learned from South America -Never tint the windows, when you car is parked you cannot see if someone is inside in the back seat, the tint windows don't allow the police and other read your body language and the criminals are not happy to show their faces. - Some drivers install a panic button close to the pedals, to notify the police, popular in USA, in South America the taxi drivers add a small red/yellow light in the registration plate, when it is on. The other drivers can noticed and they know what to do. -Install GPS tracker. - Some cars have a timer to turn off the petrol pump, after pressed the panic button, the car will run few miles. - if you have a routine home-office change you route. -Usually it is like be a airplane pilot, the take off and landing are the dangerous moments, when you leave or arrive to home/office pay more attention. It is good practice do another turn. Before park. - if you are an example in a restaurant and some one ask to everybody who is the owner of the car model aaa registration plate bbbb , and say your car is blocking another car etc, do not go alone to see your car. - No stay inside of your car when you park for long period. - tell a family member your route and ETA and call them when you arrived and leave, an example from home-office is 1 hour, and you don't call, they will start to be concern. - common sense.

You missed the biggest one Ash! Car jacked so need to get you stopped without causing you to be suspicious, or evasive in any way. They will often give you car a very small nudge (not really enough to damage) on the back bumper, act gutted and get out to discuss it with you. You don’t notice the other passenger in the car also getting out too. Out comes the weapon and it’s two against one. Game over. Edit..... So take care if you ever get a slight nudge on your back bumper. Consider things before you jump out in annoyance.

Some of the advice here would also apply if you are being followed by a "road rager"

Very useful advice given here. Irrespective of "lock on drive off" being activated, ALWAYS lock doors as soon as you are inside the vehicle, and put you key in the ignition in a pre-start position. Ensure bluetooth is turned on on your phone and paired with the car so that you are able to make an emergency call without delay if need be. If you have the sat nav in view whilst driving you can refer to it if need be to be aware of any dead-ends on approaching roads, save making a costly error.

#7 - "keep moving" this is also a really good tip on how to save fuel, since most energy wastage when driving is spent on braking.

A couple of other tips 1 - re getting pulled over by police - by law, you only have to stop for a marked/liveried police car/bike/van or an officer in uniform......so not the standard unmarked blue bmw 5-series with lights in the grill for example. If you get an unmarked vehicle trying to pull you over keep driving safely to a police station, or somewhere with lots of people to witness/ back you up. The police should be trained for this to call in marked units to take over the lead position. 2- Once pulled over, you do not have to get out of the car unless being lawfully detained or arrested. Just lock the doors, open a window an inch, turn off engine & keep hands on the wheel, while they approach so you can judge if they are legit. If its a licence check this can be done without exiting the car, just hold your licence up to the window, or pass it through the gap. 3 - In winter, be extra vigilant while scraping/de-icing the windows - especially if the engine is running to demist inside. And dont risk sstarting the car to defrost and locking it with spare key while go indoors to finish your morning coffee 4- One other thing I do, when returning to my car in a carpark, at night, for example, I don't walk straight to it. I'll wander along at a tangent. If there are people lurking, I'll sometimes get my phone out and pretend to be on a call while walking about randomly, while keeping tabs on the "lurkers". if they still seem dodgy after a few minutes I just walk away & return 5-10 minutes later. Its never happened, but if I was still wary I'd call the police & ask if there's a patrol nearby that could make a small detour.

My car doors used to lock by themselves on my other car, but they don't on this one. It takes 2 seconds to depress the drivers lock button and in actual fact is quicker than waiting to start the car and move off for the computer to do it.

Hey If they want my 2005 Honda Civic they can have it. No argument.

One thing to add is don't be afraid to break the law if necessary. Red lights, speed limits, not driving on the pavement etc can all be ignored if you're in danger.

I do most of this already, and the abnormal U-turns and roundabouts are something I've used once or twice before for the sake of peace of mind. Driving for a living has taught me a lot of things, that's for sure. Keep safe, all.

Just curious as to why you didn't include doing a wee in the seat?

I'm from a country where carjacking is very common. These tips are very good, however with autolocking doors when you move off, those are pretty useless in that situation. They don't automatically lock until you're going about 5mph and they typically unlock automatically when you drop below 5mph. The best thing to do is to get in and immediately lock the doors. Most cars these days have a button by the window switches to lock all of the doors.

tip 13 = have a tracker on your car so its easier to find it tip 14 = have a spare key on you so u can take the car once you have tracked it tip 15 = call the police once you've found the robbers location

Leaving the car keys or handing them over should the worst happened. Although valid advice, I wonder how insurance companies would view this, technically I’d suggest they’d say you handed them the vehicle over and won’t pay out!

We had a security guy come and advise us on reducing risks on a multitude of things. Car jacking was one and one piece of advice on this, particularly for high value car and small driver/women combinations was avoid filling up after dark. If this was unavoidable choose a filling station where you may walk in the building 24./7 such as motorway service stations. Use pump nearest entrance to building and make sure nothing hides you from the staff such as large vans. Never use Night Window pay sites. His strategy for women was have a purse not containing anything, or loads of fake points cards etc. out on show and credit cards/cash hidden in pocket/s. When filling lock the car. Most cars have remote locking, have a false key to point at the car and the real car key in your pocket with a hand on it. This means the focus is on the wrong key. If challenged scream, throw the false key and purse at the villains while screaming and, run in the building shouting "call the police" The villains pick the key up and it does not work by the time they work it out you are in a safe place.

or just don't live in liverpool, problem solved

I have a really good tip to reduce the risk of car theft: drive a really old, shit car.

I've got a 2004 1.4 tdi Ford Fusion and I lock my doors when in it! It's a brilliant car.

Some good tips there, especially #6 - A moving target is harder to hit! Another thing to consider, depending upon the circumstances...... SOS ".../---/..." should be a distress signal known to many. Horn use in this instance could alert others to a situation; especially in rural areas. Stay safe everyone 👍

Thanks, can you do 12 carjacking tips next?

The last time I was in a car while hijackers were interested, the people holding firearms quickly "dissuaded" them - not always an option for obvious reasons. Several armed services teach the "keep moving" and "keep distance from vehicles in front" for convoy situations, and that's probably the easiest thing to relate to civilian driving. Re the biker in the last video, the only thing I think the cammer did badly was describe it as "I'm going to flatten his bike!" - instead, describe it as "I'm going to give him a light tap, when I think I'll do least harm to him, just to guarantee my safety" - then do as my old man always said "don't think about doing it, do it." Once you've said it on camera and have evidence that your intentions are clear, knock the scumbag to the floor (and I hold this opinion being a biker myself).

Some people remove their bike tyre to stop their bike being stolen. I remove my car tyres when I park up.

It happened to me at the Lidl car park a little while ago. I was putting groceries into the trunk when someone approached from the driver side. I told them the keys were in the car. The moment he turned away and headed towards the driver side door, I legged it straight into the Lidl. The keys were inside of my backpack. Even if I'm putting stuff in the boot, I lock all the doors. I wouldn't recommend it unless you're in a lit area with others around. I was confident in my ability to do the 30m dash into the Lidl, so I just took my chances. But always drive around with all doors locked.

Some cars allow for single point entry, only the drivers door unlock on first click of the fob. Ok if you have passengers you will unlock other doors but if alone, only drivers door is unlocked and no one can get in via other doors. I had not thought about being behind the door if you reverse in to a space but had thought about reverse ram if you drive in forwards as the engine being at the front will be protected. Great point about leaving space in front so you can drive around if required, not just car jacking but if they break down

Another tip is don't have a new car. Always buy at least 10 years old.

To add to #5 - Don't open your window the whole way *until* the officer has given you proper Identification, just open it enough to be able to speak to the officer. Also you have every right to call 999 and ask for confirmation you are talking to an officer - you will not get in trouble for this, and a genuine officer should not have a problem with you doing so. (although they might get a bit of the hump)

The autolock doors, DO NOT open in the event of an accident. Emergency services will need to break the window to get into your car. It should be stated in your instruction manual with a large ! caution. It's up to you. Personally, anytime I see dodgy people about at traffic lights, I hit the central locking button on my right door console. I do use the auto-lock, for one, the passenger door doesn't auto-unlock when you try and open it like the drivers door does (probably a alternative to a front seat child lock). Which gets annoying.

I lock my car doors after getting in and before even starting the car up

You forgot tip 13: don't drive a German car(BMW, AUDI, MERCEDES etc...)

William's Top Tip 13: Drive a shit box like I do!

Your car is your coffin if you get in while being attacked or followed, just run.

I guess this is only applicable if you drive a desirable car such as a golf gti, BMW mx, etc, if you drive a polo 1.0 or a hyundai i10 then don't worry too much.

Here's a funny story. Back in the the 80's, it was the thing to have companies in supermarket car parks, offering to engrave your registration number on the car windows as a security measure. One you chap asked if I wanted it and I said "No thanks. No need. My car is protected by Laser." He asked how it works, so I pointed to my van and said, Go and open the front door just an inch or two, it's not locked. Bless him. Off he toddles, opens the door a crack, then slammed it shut. Yes, My 36 inches to the shoulder, Standard poodle, in full show clip making him look even bigger, was asleep in the back and when the door opened and it wasn't me, apparently, raised his lip only 6 inches from the chaps nose and growled so loud that the van vibrated. I went to do my shopping after calling over "That's Laser' " which was the dog's name. Oh how I cackled.

I drive a Rolls Royce Ghost with suicide doors, doubt anyone would want to hijack it but should I drive into the parking spot instead of reverse in?

Most people probably know this but hide any valuables from sight too when parked up. Including the holder attached to the windscreen that you use for your phone as that’s a sure sign that you have something that can be sold easily.

All good points. I've used the drive round the block trick once. The car followed me for 3 90 degree turns. I started to worry, then the following car turned into the driveway of a house at the last moment! I would add: If you are parked somewhere vulnerable (for instance a multi story car park at night) walk past your car first to check out anyone lurking. Check the back seat before getting in to the front. If you think you are being followed, do not drive home. Especially if you live in a cul-de-sac.

God forbid you run out of petrol in a situation like this... although they wouldn't be able to get away with the car either

I prevent carijacking by driving a 2007 Ford C-Max

Install a dashcam with a GPS. Mine also has a track and trace function so I always know where my car is. If anything weird happens I can talk to the camera out loud and it will record to the cloud. It will also record anything that happens around the vehicle. Lock the doors when you get in, as soon as you get in. I trained my girlfriend to lock the doors again as soon as I get out and vice versa. Practice how to read signs so you know where the nearest hospital and/or police station is, so you can drive there anytime you need.

Thanks for this Ashley. It’s the sort of thing you think would never happen to you, but it’s a really important topic. Keeping a clear exit route in dodgy situations is one of the best pieces of advice and locking the doors. I was on holiday and parked up at the side of the road in an area I didn’t know. I was setting the satnav on my phone and my mum was sending a text. I was so lucky I was finishing what I was doing and looked up because a car pulled up in the middle of the road and I had just enough time to say to my mum “what are they up to” (she immediately locked her door) I reversed a metre or so then bumped up the kerb and drove round the car and away. To this day I’m not sure if they were after the phones or the car (it wasn’t an expensive model) but it taught me an important lesson.

On a similar note, in my area there has been a crime wave of thieves cutting out and stealing Catalytic Converters off parked cars in public and private places, even in broad daylight. They have been brazen enough to threaten anyone trying to stop them with weapons too. Does not matter if it is a new car of an old one.

My number one tip is, I drive a shitbox that no one would want to steal. 😜

#13 have your own weapon, may i suggest a Glock 19?

When I worked in South Africa car jacking was common. You were legally allowed to have flame throwers fitted at the side of the car, gaurenteed to blind any car jacker as a minimum. As I brought my car back to the UK I did not tick the box for that optional extra. The car, a golf, had a VW alarm immobiliser fitted as standard, without this you could not insure your car. In the UK I struggled to get my Insurance company to accept that this was a manufacturers standard feature, took months before they stopped asking for the brand. In the UK it was not common for this to be offered as an option let alone as a standard. Other mods included antihigh jack remote. It brought the car to a halt after the car jacker drove it 100m and then locked the doors and put the alarm on. This option might become common in the UK if highjacking becomes common.

I'm not so sure about leaving that big a gap in front you at the lights, as someone could drive up the side of you and cut in - blocking your escape route. But yes, definitely leave space to be able to get away it doesn't need to be that big.

2:37 damn, dogging be out the window then 😂 Nice quiet place, over looking the city. Let me guess popular with dog walkers too.

That's why I'm driving the scrap which I bought for 500£.

Learners and new drivers need not worry too much about this anyway. They mostly have cheaper, older and more basic cars, so less interest to criminals 🤓

Tfw my car is probably worth less than most peoples phones but I'm watching a video about how to not get car jacked 🤔

The roundabout suggestion is one I would expand upon. ESPECIALLY if you don’t know the area! Keep going around and around at a reasonable rate. It’ll be way harder to try and stop you. If they do come tearing around the outside, then stop and take an exit.

Ensure you have a powerful breed of dog to travel with you inside your car - they will neutralise the threat and deter hijackers.

Without wishing to detract from the seriousness of carjacking, how prevalent is it? I've never heard of anyone being carjacked, though of course I know it happens. Could it be more geographical?

Thanks for your great sensible video Ashley . It amazes me that some people ( Martial Arts Guys mainly) . Seem to encourage putting your life at risk to stop the theft of an insured piece of plastic and steel . Cheers

tip #1: don't drive a car that's worth stealing, noone gonna hijack an old beater.

7:12 i wouldnt ask anyone to give there life to prevent any car being stolen but consider the fact that preventing your car being stolen could save someone else`s life. i have been mildly hospitalised twice doing exactly that, its not about being "tough" its doing what is right if you have the capability to fight back you should

My own method: I drive a shitbox

These precautions assume that the carjackers`s want the car and not you.

Always lock the car when you are in the petrol station, otherwise schoolboys will get in the back seat for a dare.

Tip number 2. I would go one better than that, get into the habit of manually locking the doors yourself as soon as you get in. Have it set to automatically lock aswell just incase you forget, but I have made pressing the button to lock the doors part of getting in the car now. Just like putting the key in the ignition or putting your seat belt on, the doors get locked.

Great tips, question though for older cars that don't have automatic locking would you advise the driver to lock them manually?

thank you so much.

My friends car got broke into for all his bricky tools in the boot he parked in an unlit car park I tryed watning him telling him to not to leave tools on show even boots because they tell theifa theres probably tools

I'm actually surprised that carjacking isn't actually INCREASING. With immobilisers and all the modern tech, thieves are having to break into homes to steal keys, so jacking someone out on the road is (probably, I'm not a thief!) the next option, as they get the keys, and scare the person so much they will be too panicked, say for example if the victim is a vulnerable person, eg young lady or older person.

Posting your whereabouts on social media is not simply a risk for your car. I remember seeing a post which recreated the Abbey Road photo. However, it was not in London. I could tell because when I looked carefully in the background I was able to identify part of the ramp to Sydney Harbour Bridge. But all the people in the photo lived in England. So if it was posted in real time that would tell any English burglar "they will not be home for at least a day and a half." Take the photos by all means. But post them up on social media to show what you did, not what you are doing.

I appreciate the advice, Ashley. But the 12th point I have to disagree with. If your car is surrounded by people with weapons, you don't know *what* they want. While it is likely they may want to hijack your car, whose to say they don't simply want to attack you? It is for that reason that I will always use force, however excessive to fight a situation such as that. Even if it means I have to run someone over, it is *their* fault for having put me in that situation wherein I feared for my life. I would much rather end up in jail than be seriously injured or dead.

I drive an Alfa Romeo 159 I don't need these tips. The suspension breaks every 2 miles so the jackers wouldn't get far.

Good tips.

Experiencing having something stolen from you is horrible - not on the same scale as a car but when my pedal bike was stolen by theifs with weapons it really has a toll on your mental health :/ would much rather they have picked the lock and took it rather than when I was riding it - Stay safe out there everyone

The posting on social media is a big one, the amount of youtubers that show off their cars from their garage or driveway, it's the same with celebrities showing off being in another country then coming home to a burgled house. This just happened to Jonathon Rea while he was away, I hope he got the gear back, it's a horrible feeling being robbed/burgled, my motorbike was stolen a long time ago, makes you feel sick. The run away part is right, you could be a master in martial arts, or a pro boxer, but all it takes is a weapon and you're done, and all that for something you can replace, they tell cashiers/shop workers at garages etc not to fight back, it's not worth losing your life.

Had a close call where I live, picking wife up from work in an area I don't really trust so while parked I had the doors locked. To my surprise someone looking like a typical drug dealer hard man with an bully type dog tried opening the passenger side door. Walked off in shame and smiled as he left. Right next to a busy main road in rush hour so he probably didn't want to pursue getting in any further. Keep your doors locked people. I don't have a fancy auto-lock thing on the car, but I just had a bad feeling at the time and used the central locking and within 5 minutes it happened

Great points. I'd just add on to the point about keeping the car moving; try and plan your route to minimise right turns, especially emerges.

Why would i get out of my car and run when i can drive off 😂😂😂😂, thats if youre not blocked by them, also why you didn't mention you can use your vehicle to defend yourself

Some really interesting ideas there, thanks very much for sharing. As you say, very useful in general driving as well as a situation where you're concerned you're being followed (or worse). To reinforce the point, using a hand held phone when driving is normally an offence, *but not when calling the emergency services*. I have wondered about having a cheap payg mobile (not a smart phone) to keep for emergency calls only - in fact you wouldn't even need any credit to dial triple nine anyway. Another perhaps obvious point - always have a phone on you when in the car and make sure it's got plenty of battery life left! The point about how to react / know you're rights when stopped by the police is a particularly interesting one, maybe worthy of another video? It never occurred to me to think what if someone saying they were a police officer wasn't genuine, all the times I've been stopped it was by a marked police car so it seemed pretty obvious! But aside from that, what's the correct thing to do if stopped? I've not been stopped for a while but when I used to drive much older cars it did used to happen to me a bit. You've got nothing to hide and you want to co-operate and to show straight away that you're wanting to be helpful, so what do you do for the best - do you get out of the car? Stay in but open the window? Do you hand over your keys? Do you try to be proactively helpful or does that risk antagonising a police officer who may wish you to wait for their directions? Do you joke as I did once that I was a burglar but it was my night off? (fortunately the police officer took it in good humour - I was wearing driving gloves which prompted the conversation!) Ashley I'm sure I'll benefit from watching this a number of times to fully absorb all the points you raise. Thanks again.

Imagine this being tips in the US. "I got a revolver in the glove compartment, 12 gauge shotgun under my wife's skirt and a Abrams M1 in the back"

Couple of other tips: Dont take the same route home from work or any other regular travel everyday, mix it up. keep your keys in your bedroom, somewhere hard to access without you being woken up and if you have keyless entry car, keep it in a anti rfid wallet. Finally when leaving your house check for devices left near your home or car that could be used to pick up the radio signal from your keys, CCTV around your house can also deter theft from your home.

They be doing me a favour, i'd tell them drop it off at the scrapyard

My tips. Buy a key same as yours. On ebay. Put a keyring on it. Such as GTi. Or what ever your car is. Keep that key in the car. If ever your confronted. Shout. Key is in the car. Give them the false key. You then run. 2. Throw your key over a house. Wall. Anywhere. 3. Buy a tracker. 4, buy a steering lock. 5. If attacked pretend you have a heat condition. Say. Oh oh my heart. And drop to the floor.

I always make a little note of what car is behind me if i've made 2 or 3 maneuvres and they have followed each of them. I start thinking "what are the chances they're going exactly where i am?" The roundabout one is the best, especially if you have 2 roundabouts closeby. Then you can more casually go up and down the main street and not make the following car as suspicious. Great video Ashley!

Great video - I’d always do a few decoy moves. Such as the ones you suggested, but also, supermarkets, busy areas, places you know well - and if you’re in an area where you aren’t certain, try to get to the nearest central location or head to a motorway. Don’t stop. Wind your windows up and keep everything close to hand in case you do have to do a runner. Get your handbag, your phone, your wallet, house keys etc and all things you need on you as you’re driving round just in case.

All very good advice. Re a Police Officer’s ID, be particularly careful with unmarked cars. An officer in plain clothes Should show a warrant card without being asked, and you can ask Any officer to show it. Be Polite, but firm. If in doubt, dial 101 or if you feel threatened, 999. If they confirm it’s real Police, comply and apologise. Film the encounter if you must, but again, be polite about it. DON’T shove the camera/phone in their face. If you’ve performed some counter-surveillance manoeuvres and you’re still being followed, dial 999:- this is exempted in Mobile Phone Use as it’s, to all intents & purposes, an emergency, you’re in genuine fear of your safety, so even if you do Not have hands free this is legal. If at that point flashy blues go on flash your hazards to acknowledge them, & try to drive to a safe well lit location while maintaining the call; again, if it’s confirmed as genuine Police, pull over as soon as is safe, & apologise.