@ Mr. James
Ja, you can get into a fair bit of trouble in Johannesburg if you take a wrong turn under the wrong circumstances: such circumstances being derived from the valuables/vehicle you may have, coupled with the location in which you find yourself. It is just as well you didn't fall foul of some hijackers because 1995-2000 was a particularly bad period for hijackings in which the driver was shot.
@ Thread
The hijacking situation got so bad in Johannesburg that guidelines were printed and distributed, detailing what the driver should do in the event that he was hijacked. Now a little background is needed before you can appreciate the logic here. Firstly, the hijacker is always armed and by the time he has drawn level with the driver's side window, or is actually right at the window, his gun is already drawn and aimed at your head. Secondly, he either takes it for granted that you are also armed, or has a plan in his mind for dealing with you in the event that you draw a weapon.
These are the guidelines (I can't remember the source or all of the guidelines, but these are the salient ones):
1) Take your hands off the wheel and lift them up in plain view of the hijacker. Do not turn the engine off.
2) If he tells you to get out of the vehicle and you are wearing a seatbelt, then you must reach with your left hand up to your right shoulder, place your left thumb under the seatbelt, draw your hand down to the seatbelt release at your left hip and release it. This is so that the hijacker can see your hand. If you move straight to your hip, this could be interpreted as a draw, and then you get shot. (Take note these are guidelines for a right-hand-drive setup).
3) When you get out of the vehicle, get your hands up and step away from the vehicle. Don't make any comments, offer money, plead for mercy, or be aggressive. Basically he will take what he wants. Follow instructions.
4) If you have a firearm and it is not discovered by the hijacker, do not draw that firearm and shoot at the vehicle as the hijacker gets away.
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Then various security companies offered anti-hijacking training in Johannesburg. I went on one of these courses led by a member of the SAPS. The whole aim of the course was to teach awareness and minimise the chances of the driver ending up in a position where he was still in his vehicle, gun not drawn, and the hijacker was close to the vehicle with his weapon drawn. These were some of the recommended steps to prevent being surprised by a hijacker:
1) Maintain a good following distance between your vehicle and the one in front. This means you can see more of the road up ahead and you can't get boxed in as easily. When coming to a stop behind a vehicle, leave almost a car-length of space so that if you do see someone get out of a car in your rear-view mirror, you can step on it and get away in an adjacent lane.
2) You must be aware of potential hijack spots. This means high hedges at traffic lights, blind rises and traffic congestion. The anti-blind spot mirrors are useful. In one demonstration the instructor was able to approach my side window from the rear of the car and I couldn't see him in my rear-view mirror or my side mirror. He approached in my blind spot. Those little curved stick-on mirrors cure this.
3) If it is night time and you are approaching a set of red lights and it all looks clear traffic-wise but you can't see if anyone is crouching behind a tree or low bush, then by all means go through the red. Don't stop. Better a traffic fine than a hijacking.
4) You can't wear a seatbelt and draw effectively. You must either have the gun already drawn (perhaps under your leg or in a seat-mounted pouch), or you must drive with no seatbelt. Driving with no seatbelt is more for those short journeys from work to home at night and not for day driving because statistically you are still more likely to be hurt in a crash than be hijacked.
5) If you can see the guy before he has drawn level with your vehicle you may be able to manouevre out of there at speed. If one hijacker is seen to the front and another is at the rear or if a car blocks the rear, then you must know how to shoot out of a vehicle. We did quite a few drills, involving forward and rear firing, and left-hand firing out of the passenger side. It was quite intense: we fired a couple of shots without ear protection in the car and I can tell you there is quite a loud racket even with a 9mm.
So there you have it. The peaceful official way is to comply with the hijacker's demands and avoid confrontation. The police way is to avoid the opportunity to be hijacked and only to draw and fire if the advantage is with the driver. I think overall this makes sense.
On a related note, there was an anti-hijack system developed in SA where dual flamethrowers are activated by a foot pedal and completely scorch both sides of the vehicle and anyone standing there. I quite like that idea. I would probably sacrifice my paint-job for the sake of toasted hijacker