August is Month for Most Carjackings in MD; Safety Tips

Lock your cars, roll up the windows and avoid driving in dim, isolated areas.

Those are good safety tips for Maryland drivers any time, but especially during August, when more carjackings happen than in any other month.

AAA Mid-Atlantic says of the 473 Maryland carjackings in 2012, 54 happened in August, 51 in November and 45 in June, according to the 2012 Uniform Crime Report from the Maryland State Police and the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention.

Over half of the carjackings in Maryland in 2012 happened between 6 p.m. and 1 a.m., 28 percent of the crimes happened during the weekend and 75 percent of the 473 incidents took place in the city of Baltimore (176) and Prince George’s County (183).

On July 29 in Prince George’s County, a suspected carjacker crashed an SUV into a McDonald’s in Hyattsville.

Only 10 carjackings were reported in Montgomery County in 2012, 25 in Anne Arundel County and just one in Charles County, the organization says.

AAA Mid-Atlantic asks drivers to take all precautions possible to avoid being the victim of circumstances or crime.

Men comprise of 95 percent of carjackers, according to the Crime in Maryland report, but men are also more likely to be the victims of carjackings -- 67 percent in 2012 compared to 32 percent female victims.

In January, a father pulled into the Exxon gas station at the corner of University Boulevard West and Georgia Avenue in Wheaton. Dewitt Matthews had left the keys in the ignition, according to WJLA, with his five-year-old son in the backseat. Matthews thought he had locked the car when he ran in to pay, but when Matthews returned, his 2007 Nissan Maxima and his son, were gone.

“Fewer crimes, as in the frightful case of kidnapping and carjacking in Wheaton, leave victims feeling so defenseless or vulnerable,” said Ragina Cooper-Averella, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public and Government Affairs, in a news release.

The suspect was arrested when he came back to the gas station on foot, WJLA reports. Matthew’s car was found across the street with his son unharmed.

Carjackers tend to target cars at highway exit and entry ramps or any time a driver has to slow down. Parking lots are the second most frequent location for carjackings -- 132 incidents.

Carjacking safety tips include:

- Avoid poorly lit, isolated areas.

- Approach your car with the key in hand.

- If you are bumped from behind, motion to the other driver and go to a police station, 24-hour store, hospital or firehouse.

- Lock your doors and keep your windows rolled up, especially when stopped in traffic.

- when you’re coming to a stop, leave enough room to maneuver around other cars, especially if you sense trouble and need to get away.

- Drive in the center lane to make it harder for would-be carjackers to approach the car.

- Avoid driving alone. Go with someone whenever possible, especially at night.

- Stay on main roads and highways.

- When stopping for breaks, never let children go to the restroom alone. Always lock vehicle doors, even if you’ll only be gone for a few minutes.

- Do not stop to help a disabled vehicle. Instead, call for help.

- If stopping during nighttime travel, choose a well-lit, populated facility. Park where your vehicle can be seen.

- If aprpaoched by someone while your vehicle is stopped, keep your doors locked and only roll your window down enough to hear what the person is saying.

- Follow your instincts. If you feel threatened in any way, trust that intuition and get out of harm’s way.

- Carry a fully-charged mobile phone in case of emergencies.

If you find yourself the victim of carjacking, officials say:

- Never get in the car with the carjacker. If the carjacker threatens you with a gun or other weapon, give up your car or throw the keys as far as you can. Don’t argue. Your life is worth more than the vehicle.

- If the carjacker as a gun. . . run. Get away from the area as quickly as possible.

- If the carjacker forces you to drive, buckle up, and consider staging a fender bender at an intersection.

- Try to remember what the carjacker looked like -- sex, race, age, hair, eye color, special features and clothes.

- Report the crime immediately to the police.

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