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In South Africa, car crimes occur every day, throughout the day and night.

But there are certain days and hours when you are most vulnerable to our country’s criminal minds.

Every Saffa has it drilled into our heads that we need to remain aware of our surroundings while travelling at all times, but it helps to know when to really switch on and stay on the defence.

The hardest hit province at the moment when it comes to road crimes is still Gauteng, with motorists experiencing an increase in vehicle thefts and hijackings, reported TimesLIVE.

This is according to the Tracker Vehicle Crime Index, which notes that for the first six months of the year, Gauteng has accounted for 61% of incidents, which is up from 58% in the latter half of 2021.

The database shows that KwaZulu-Natal is the second worst hit, with 17% of total incidents, while the Western Cape is third with 8%.

Wherever you are, the particular times to watch out for appear to be from midweek to Friday, mostly between 4PM and 8PM, when an escalation in reported hijackings has been noted.

When it comes to thefts, they are reported to escalate on Saturdays, as well as between 11AM and 3PM.

Vehicle thefts have risen 7% nationally and hijackings are up by 4% over the previous review period. Tracker COO Duma Ngcobo warned of a new criminal modus operandi being used – keyless access:

“Keyless access theft involves a pair or team of criminals, one of whom could discreetly follow a vehicle owner as they walk away from a locked vehicle, all the while amplifying the constantly transmitted signal received from the vehicle’s key fob to a criminal counterpart, who may then gain access to the vehicle and drive away with it.”

Criminals are apparently finding greater opportunities with this as more vehicles are on the road this year.

Now you know.

Although, nothing should really change. We will continue to watch out at all hours, every day.

[source:timeslive]