Surveillance, Hostile Behavior, and Attack Recognition
Carjacking
Definition
Carjacking is the forced theft or attempted seizure of a vehicle from its occupants. In security driving, it may be opportunistic or targeted and can place the Principal at immediate risk.
Carjacking matters because it occurs at the intersection of traffic, routine, vehicle value, and human vulnerability. Stopped vehicles, parking areas, fuel stations, junctions, residential gates, and congested areas may create opportunities.
For a protected person, carjacking may be more than theft. It may be a cover for kidnapping, intimidation, or attack. The driver must understand vehicle security, locked doors, windows, spacing, observation, route choice, and avoidance of unnecessary stops.
This page should connect carjacking to defensive driving, route planning, secure transportation, and threat actor analysis.
Common misconceptions to correct
- Carjacking is not always random.
- Expensive vehicles can increase visibility.
- Armored glass does not remove extraction risk at embus/debus.
- The driver should not rely on speed alone.
Where this concept is treated in the books
- Security Driving - Volume I: The Foundations of Security Driving - establishes the definition, professional identity, misconceptions, attacker mindset, European context, risk, liability, and legal framework.
- Security Driving - Volume III: Advanced Security Driving - applies the discipline through tactical driving, motorcade operations, protective intelligence, route analysis, surveillance detection, attack recognition, and immediate action drills.
- The Complete Handbook of Security Driving - brings the full trilogy together as a complete professional reference for long-term study, training preparation, research, and website cross-linking.
- Book pages: Volume I | Volume II | Volume III | Complete Handbook