[imagesource:flickr]

High-value vehicles and 4X4s are being stolen left, right, and centre in this country.

Crime data from February shows that 23 025 carjackings were reported by the end of 2022, representing an average of 63 vehicles being swiped away per day.

Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal (KZN), and the Western Cape are said to experience the most hijackings.

As for what car gets the most eyes, Toyota models are apparently the most targeted cars in South Africa, accounting for 31,6% of the group’s incidences, according to Fidelity services group CEO Wahl Bartmann via BusinessTech.

The Toyota Prado (above), Toyota Landcruiser, Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger, Toyota Fortuner, and Nissan NP200 are among the high-value 4X4s models at a particularly high risk of being stolen.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen cars account for 14,1%, and Ford accounts for 10,4% of the hijacking incidences in the country.

These models make for easy targets for vehicle theft syndicates as they have keyless entry, which thieves can intercept using specific technology to gain access to your car in a jiffy.

Outsurance CEO Marthinus Visser is concerned about the impact of these crimes on insurance claims, noting that cars with keyless entry “increases the cost of insuring those vehicles significantly”.

As a result, insurers are looking for solutions to mitigate the rising premiums for such cars:

“Measures are being looked at, things like tracking devices and even disabling the keyless entry for those vehicles equipped with such a feature that you can disable it,” Visser said.

Keyless car owners are encouraged to use something called a Faraday pouch, which blocks the signals after locking a vehicle, preventing criminals from intercepting the vehicle’s key.

Meanwhile, Old Mutual is going so far as to make it compulsory for motorists to install tracking devices or risk losing their insurance coverage.

Vehicle owners – particularly those in Gauteng, KwaZulu Natal, Limpopo, Free State, Mpumalanga, and North-West – are urged to ensure the fitment of good-quality tracking devices before April 15 this year:

“We are living in unprecedented times where vehicle syndicates have learnt how to use sophisticated means of technology to access a vehicle. We remain committed to the safety and security of our customers. It would be amiss of us not to take drastic action in this climate,” it said.

The insurance company has cautioned that if policyholders do not comply, they will no longer be insured against theft and hijacking.

We can’t have nice things in South Africa unless we fortify them, stukkend.

[source:businesstech]