Vehicle owners have been urged to strengthen their security systems for their vehicles to prevent theft and hijackings.
This comes as the Santam Insurance Barometer report for 2022/23 noted a substantial rise in hijackings and theft last year.
“One of the concerning trends unfolding in 2022 was the substantial increase in vehicle theft and hijacking, especially among high-value SUV and delivery vehicles on the commercial side.”
It said certain makes and models were up to 20 times more likely than similar-priced models to be hijacked or stolen, specifically in Gauteng.
The report also found that stolen vehicles movement has extended from Gauteng into areas of KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, where they exit the country into neighbouring countries.
Santam’s incurred claims for high theft risk vehicles were 6.32 times higher in 2022 than the 2019 base measure, and more than double the incurred claims for 2021, it said. One of the security measures suggested was the installation of two tracking devices in vehicles instead of just one, the Santam report said.
“Doubling up on vehicle trackers, discussing tech-linked weaknesses with vehicle manufacturers, using Faraday pouches to prevent the cloning of keyless access signals, and working with law enforcement were actions taken to reduce claims to acceptable levels, as confirmed by the Q1 2023 claims experience.”
The report revealed that after corrective actions were taken, vehicle hijackings were down by 24% from the first half of 2022 to the first half of 2023.
This also correlates with the current crime stats for April to June 2023, which showed hijackings had decreased by 6.4% nationally and vehicle theft went down by 2.7%.
Mark Smith, brand manager of vehicle recovery company Tracker, said the company had adopted a holistic approach to stolen vehicle recovery.
Smith said while Tracker could not disclose specific details about the company’s methods, its approach had led to noticeable improvements in recovery rates.
Asked about the benefit of fitting two tracking devices, Smith said: “We can affirm that our comprehensive strategy includes leveraging the latest technology and expertise to enhance the chances of vehicle recovery. However, the exact number of tracking devices or other specific methods utilised is part of our proprietary and confidential process.”
Smith added that vehicle owners could also look at products and services that featured early warning notifications around unauthorised movement of vehicles.
These included a digital In-App car guard service, or a key tag that paired to the tracking device and notified the tracking company when the vehicle moved without the key tag being present.
Smith also warned the public to be aware of the latest keyless entry theft tactic, whereby the signal from a modern car’s electronic keyfob was amplified back to the vehicle once the owner had left their parked vehicle, allowing the vehicle to be stolen.
“This is mitigated through the use of a Faraday pouch, disabling the emission of the key signal to others, or disabling the keyless entry functionality through the help of one’s respective car dealership,” he said.
Crime expert and former consultant for the Institute for Security Studies, Dr Johan Burger, said the turning point with regard to the rise in carjackings began in 2011 when crime stats across the board increased for trio crimes.
He said in the 2011/2012 period carjackings, house and business robberies increased.
“In the 11-year period to 2022/2023, house robberies increased by 37.4%, business robberies increased by 25.5% and carjackings increased exponentially by 141.5%.
“With the serious threat to road users and car owners on public roads, it makes sense that insurance companies would look to technology to protect motorists.”
Chad Thomas, a financial and organised crime investigator, said criminals were extremely adept at change and aware of technical and digital crime prevention measures.
Thomas said consumers should make use of more security features.
“Some will remember when steering locks came into use, followed by gear locks. Later came anti-hijacking cut-out devices followed by various forms of trackers.
“With the use of jammers becoming so prevalent, and with crime syndicates knowing where trackers are generally hidden, it makes sense to have a separate tracker hidden elsewhere on the motor vehicle.”
The Mercury