. Carjacking - Probably the most Violent Kind of Theft

view website - Carjacking is described as the forceful theft of the vehicle while still occupied. Whereas a normal car theft can at most be referred to as a pricey kind of property theft, carjacking is really a dangerous and violent crime, which puts individuals in direct harm.

Due to this, the government Anti-Car Theft Act of 1992 (FACTA) makes carjacking a federal offense, punishable by up to life imprisonment. The 1994 Crime Bill increases the punishment for carjackers, calling for the death penalty whenever a harmless victim is killed.

view website - Most carjackers make use of a weapon so that you can secure the vehicle they're stealing. Based on a report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, between the many years of 1993 and 2002, 74% of all carjackings involved using a weapon from the criminal. Firearms were utilized in 45% of all cases; knives in 11%, and 18% involved the use of 'other weapons'.

In line with the same survey, 34,000 attempted or successful carjacking cases are reported annually in the usa. Of such, about 45% were completed crimes.

Peak times are more active periods for carjacking. 68% of cases occur during the night, and many of such occur between your hours of 8 and 11 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are the cause of over 1 / 2 of all cases. The month of December claims one of the most forceful theft of auto incidents; more than one quarter of all carjackings occur in December.

You will find, however, numerous things that can be done to assist ensure that your odds of learning to be a victim of car theft are reduced whenever you can. Whenever possible, drive with someone else in a car. From the 38,000 cases annually, only about 4,000 of these occurred with a passenger or passengers in the vehicle.

read more - Keep the doors locked and windows up whenever possible, particularly in highly dense cities. Many of these cases exist in major towns. One study reports that 15 towns account for 90% of carjacking cases. Locked doors and closed windows present more obstacles to any would-be carjackers. If a person approaches your vehicle asking for help, remain cautious and don't roll down of the question more than a couple inches.

Be familiar with potential “bump and rob” schemes. Most carjacking incidents are perpetrated with a crowd, as opposed to one individual. Such groups use many strategies and tactics to distract you against the crime until it is past too far. Probably the most common schemes involves one individual bumping your automobile in the rear in traffic. Once you exit your automobile to check damages in order to talk to one other driver, a second accomplice enters your vehicle and takes it.

Be aware that if you are approached by an armed carjacker, hand over your keys and contact the police immediately. There's no reason to set yourself at risk over an automobile.