ADT works closely with the founder of the National Hijack Prevention Academy, Richard Brussow, in educating the community about what to do and how to react in the event of a hijacking.
“Statistics indicate that children are seldom taken in hijackings – in fact, it only happens in six out of 24 000 cases. Criminals know that when children are involved, their crime escalates to a priority crime which will attract a lot of attention; the last thing criminals want is a lot of attention,” Brussow says.
The most important thing for women travelling with children to remember is that the eldest child should always be seated behind the driver and the younger child to the left. Humphrey explains:
“If you are hijacked while your children are in the car, climb out of the vehicle slowly and move to the back door directly behind the driver’s door. Place one foot firmly in the car, on the floor behind the driver’s seat, as you lean across to retrieve the youngest child. The eldest child will probably cling to you and you can get both children out of the car at once. Remember to stay as calm as possible. If the hijackers panic and the vehicle starts moving before you have your children out of the car, your firm footing in the vehicle will throw your body weight into the car with your children, as opposed to you being left behind and the hijackers speeding off with your children.”
