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Who makes or sells the car anti-theft devices where if some violent low life robs you of your car you just hand over the keys, knowing that the device allows the thief to take the vehicle but after a safe distance, half a mile or whatever, the car stops and is completely immobilised
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Try Hamilton & Palmer on 01732 760022. They did make one, don't if it went into production.
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There's always the South African solution (see below)
Anti Car Jacking S.A style
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A few years ago a Cortina was left for repairs at the garage I worked in at the time. The mechanic doing the job was working overtime and at about 8pm decided to start replacing the rear shockers on the Cortina. A short while later there was loud hammering on the garage doors. The car owner!
Turned out he was a TV engineer and had wired his doors and boot lid to a transmitter, if they were opened he got a signal on his receiver. He hadn't switched off his boot circuit and thought a burglar was at work in the garage. Don't know if the device was legal though.
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Develop an interest in Pit Bull Terriers
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How did you put a link in the middle of your reply ?
Martyn ?
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Mark,
Non techies please fall asleep now!
it looks like you can put HTML into the text so for a link (anchor), say news.bbc.co.uk/
you enter
the less than sign followed immediately by
a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/"
optionally add
target="_blank"
for a new browser window
then the greater than sign
followed by the description of the link
finish off with the /a surrounded as usual by the less and greater than signs
Link Demo
Hope this helps.
Lee.
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Now if we've cracked this link thing what about images?
David
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David,
I reckon you could create a photo album in yahoo, give public access and post the image in there and then put a link to that album/photo in the post.
was going to try a demo/test with a favourite picture but yahoo photos server is down right now.
That is my suggestion. If it works it would be a nice solution to those posts where a picture or quick autocad sketch would make a description simple.
Stuart
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Good to see the backroom's "Foreign Legion" have gathered - Oh yes, we have a history of banditry in the third world!
But seriously, check with the local police re the validity of such a device.
Imagine if scumbag goes tearing off in your pride and joy, only to lose all power (inc brakes and steering) while driving at 70 down a crowded street? Nasty.
There was also a device about which operated via the brake servo, locking up all four wheels next times the car came to a halt (or dropped below 10km/h, I recall) after activating it. Safer option, I'm sure you'll agree.
Still on the subject, maybe Mark, Growler, yours truly, and other knowledgable types should compile a "how not to get hijacked" article for the site (or for HJ's column)?
While I have great faith in Britain's boys in blue, I think they might find themselves be out of their depth on this particular crimes, which is a way of life (and death) elesewhere.
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Ian et al, I would be glad to share, such as it is, our conventional wisdom on car-jacking, though I would say it is (wisely) mainly about not getting into a potential car-jacking situation in the first place as opposed to dealing with it when it happens. I realise I am not talking about UK but what is an emergent crime there is a well-established one here, so there may be some experience to pass on.
It is no coincidence that everyone who can afford it in the Philippines drives something large and 4WD with front and rear bumper bars, ergo my F-150 truck, even if it is a bitch to park. If he can afford it a Mitsubishi L300 full of armed goons to follow him as well! (Seriously, since the carjackers very often take the owner too, especially the Filipino Chinese!)
Filipino "creativity" is renowned the world over and knows no bounds. Cars are occasionally flagged down at night by temporary police checkpoints manned by armed cops, cars with flashing lights etc or fake traffic enforcers for some imaginary offense. While often quite genuine security checks, eg after recent Abu Sayyaf bombings etc, these may be simply carjackers in fake uniforms. In the provincial areas it may even be the police themselves who do the carjacking! The "car-jackee" has more than once been invited to get drunk with the local mayor before being turned loose, sans car and wallet!
Knowing this, an expat recently came to a tragic end when he did a 3 pointer upon meeting a police checkpost at night. Presumably he thought this was prudent but instead on this occasion the cops were genuine and looking out for drug runners following a tip off. Seeing him make the turn and assuming he was guilty when he failed to respond to their orders to stop they killed him and his daughter with a hail of bullets. The cops were not even disciplined for this. So avoidance is the order of the day. Being in a cooking model Corolla if you don't have a 4WD is also wiser than using a BMW, as was he.
Truck-jackings are not uncommon on the expressways, and buses often carry armed guards to deal with bus-jackings. Oh, yes. Imagine 72 people left by the roadside bereft of all their belongings while a couple of hoods drive off with the bus! Frequently these are inside jobs where the driver is in cahoots with the villains. Unlikely to happen in UK, where I believe there aren't many buses and those there are have no one in them and the trucks can't go fast enough anyway to get away :-)
I have undergone some years ago, when I was posted to some hairy places courses in evasive driving. These mainly involved wrecking old Cortinas on skid pans and taught me to do fast reverse turns and ram and t-bone other old crocks a la Burt Reynolds, of course in a controlled training school environment.
That was fun but frankly in hindsight worse than useless unless you're a stunt driver and more dangerous than taking my chances. These guys invariably have guns. To stay in your car as suggested for UK wouldn't work therefore, Staying inside and calling the cops is a waste of time, they never respond to emergency calls on a reliable basis, even if they could get through the traffic. You would not either be able to get away as the heist would involve 2 or 3 vehicles to box you in. As the best of a bad situation I would get out and be as inoffensive as possible, let them have everything they want, encourage them to get on their way and away from you as fast as possible. It's only a damn car and replaceable anyway. Better a bruised ego and an insurance wrangle than a trip to the ER or worse, the morgue. I would also suggest that attempts at driving evasion even if possible may well be a high-risk strategy and may involve other innocent people. Avoidance by attention to personal security is better.
My advice for anyone in Manila and elsewhere in 3rd world would be, if you must go out at night and in suspect areas, firstly take a basic common or garden cab working from a hotel (means a reputable traceable driver) instead of your own car, go with several others (alone you are more vulnerable) and dress down without any valuables. That way the bad guys will be less interested in you. The corollary in UK might be just drive an old clunker!! Or a company car....or take a cab or look for a bus lane...
In daytimes here carjacking is less likely to happen in the city simply because the gridlock is so bad the thieves would never get away. Traffic light situations where junkies and low-lifes on foot might try it on are not as risky as in the UK since ignoring red lights is a national pastime.
As well as the opportunist, often drug-related, heist there is also the planned carjack/kidnap, where you are observed and trailed over a period. This is usually the steal-to-order mob after your Merc or Audi, or more chillingly, after you. The answer is obvious, vary routes and times wherever possible. Take the wife's car randomly some days-- but make sure she doesn't use yours!!. Always be aware of your surroundings when driving (my many years of biking is invaluable here) and if in doubt, as I sometimes am, about what you perceive to be unwelcome attention directed at you, then try and drive to a crowded well lit area, park up for a time and/or go inside. A gas station or shopping mall for example.
Other wise words like always leave yourself a way out, drive defensively etc are a waste of time here. Any gap between you and someone else and you can bet there'll be a guy jamming his way into it on the local principle of everyone has to be first otherwise great face is lost. The safest way of driving in Manila is in fact to be very aggressive, drive as fast as possible and compete for every gap, believe it or not. It's the ditherer who usually has the problem. Everyone drives like this and there are very few accidents believe it or not. If your vehicle is larger that gives an edge, although if it is newish the guys in older stuff may assume you'll back down at the final second rather than collect a ding and that could be a problem, especially if done deliberately. Blacked out windows are also a good idea, I have them. this conceals who and how many inside. Frankly the hell with legality if it's mine and the Growlette's safety on the line.
I also carry a portable red police rotating light which plugs in the cigar lighter and can be stood on the dash, like in those old Kojak movies. You can buy 'em in the car supermarkets. Not legal, but might act as a sufficient deterrent and cause enough hesitation on the part of the crims to enable you to make a getaway if they thought for a second you were a somebody. Well worth the minor fine if caught.
I have never had a problem in places I have lived from Tehran to Beirut to Baghdad to the sub-continent to Manila by following some basics, although I have been targeted and received personal threats at various times, particularly when I was a senior executive for a multinational before retiring.
Finally, in my view the guts of any personal risk management is the old lesson I was always taught of "target hardening", just make it too much trouble so that you hope the villains will pick someone else. While most of my examples are specific to where I live, I think this principle can be adopted and adapted anywhere from mugging to assault to carjacking or what have you.
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Growler,
Tthink your last para sums it up. plus the view that if it all goes pear shaped cars money watches etc are replaceable, you aren't.
Reminds me of a conversation with a taxi driver who picked me up (not like it sounds, steady on!) in a distinctly dodgy area one evening.
Talking about muggings and so on I commented that in all fairness I had seen/experienced no problems/hassle. His observation was "that's 'cos you look like someone who won't take any s**t" a remark which I found somewhat amusing as will anyone who knows me.
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FIF,
Do you actually look like the Vicar then?
Now if we had the Yahoo photo Album up and running we could see.
David
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more like *a* vicar thats why it was so funny.
Taximan obviously operating on the basis that there is more than one way to get a good tip. I think you get the picture?
look out for an email attachment entitled I'm the ugly one!
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THe Growler wrote:
>
> I would be glad to share, such as it is, our
> conventional wisdom on car-jacking, though I would say it is
> (wisely) mainly about not getting into a potential
> car-jacking situation in the first place
Right on, G, and that was what I was trying to imply with my (ambiguous) orginal message!
I'll email HJ, with my suggestions (and many of yours!) later this week!
Many thanks
ian
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Thanks very much to everyone who has taken the trouble to reply, all very interesting. The Pit Bull was a very good suggestion!
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