Hijacking wake-up call to be vigilant

HOW terrifying it is when parents have to fear for their safety while driving their children to school.

Yesterday morning the almost unthinkable happened – a young mother was hijacked while dropping her Grade 1 child off at Summerwood Primary School in Summerstrand.

Police reports suggest the attacker pushed her away from her car door as she was climbing out, jumped into the driver’s seat and drove off.

She had not even had the chance to take her keys out or close her door behind her.

It took only seconds before she and her child were left standing in the street, watching their car vanish.

Parents will know how common it is to be distracted by the rush of getting children up in the morning, bags packed, ready to be at school on time before heading off to work themselves.

We can only hope that this was a random and opportunistic crime and not the start of a new trend.

After all, a school should be a place of safety for all in the community so that the young minds who spend their days there feel secure and receptive to learning.

A hijacking outside a school – any school – shakes that feeling of security to the core.

It grabs at our emotions because children – particularly those in primary school, as was the case here – are due to their age vulnerable and in need of adult protection and care.

We must take this as a wake-up call to be more alert about personal safety, even in areas we regard as safe.

Motorists should all know, by now, to drive with their doors locked and windows up, and to be extra-vigilant.

For years, police also have been warning drivers not to leave handbags, laptops or other valuables in their unattended vehicles.

However, this vehicle was not unattended.

Furthermore, the crime happened in a busy suburb with a street full of vehicles dropping off little passengers for their school day.

What a traumatic way to start the week, not only for the mother whose car was stolen, but also for her son.

The whole school will no doubt now be aware of the incident and countless children will be asking their parents and teachers “why”. What do we tell them? Be vigilant. Not only for your sake, but for the sake of your loved ones.