Remote jamming: Ensure your car really is secure

Don’t walk away from your vehicle before checking it is locked in order to mitigate the chances of falling prey to car-jamming, warns Marius Steyn, Santam underwriting manager.

Steyn says, according to the State of Urban Safety in South Africa Report, there has been a 58 percent increase in car-jacking since 2011.

He says that remote jamming, or car-jamming, is a practice where criminals use a signal-jamming device to prevent a car’s central locking and alarm systems from being activated, leaving a vehicle vulnerable to theft and vandalism.

“Car-jamming continues to be an escalating safety concern for many South Africans. Motorist often walk away from their cars while pressing their remote without ensuring that their vehicles are physically locked. Because of this behaviour, criminals are provided the opportunity to commit a crime like car-jamming,” says Steyn.

Asked whether insurers quoted clients higher premiums if, when taking out cover, they indicated that they regularly parked in public parking spaces, he responded: “Currently, at Santam it does not influence the premium.”

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SAU PUBLISHED: August 2019

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