The Bureau of Justice Statistics used the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) data to run a report on carjackings. The report covers the years 1995-2021.
I will note a few interesting details from the report, but I encourage you to read it fully yourself.
- During 2012–21, nonfatal carjackings were more likely to take place at or near the victim’s home (39%) than in other locations.
- The majority of nonfatal carjackings involved an offender with a weapon (59%). Offenders armed with firearms accounted for 38% of nonfatal carjackings.
- Victims were as likely to resist the offender in a nonfatal carjacking (53%) as to not resist during the crime (47%). About one in four (26%) nonfatal carjackings resulted in victim injury.
- Offenders in nonfatal carjackings were more likely to be strangers to the victim (64%) than known to the victim (26%)
- Males were as likely as females to experience nonfatal carjackings
- The rate of nonfatal carjacking victimization of persons in households with annual incomes of below $75,000 (0.16 per 1,000) was more than three times that of those in households with incomes of $75,000 or more (0.05 per 1,000)
- 90 percent of the time, there is only one victim.
- 41 percent of the time, the carjacking happened on a street or parking lot/garage.
A couple of things were shocking. Almost 40 percent happened at or near the victim’s home. This suggests, to me at least, some planning was in order here. For example, driving around neighborhoods looking for cars, finding a target car, and then planning a carjack when the victim was on their way to work or leaving at some scheduled time. Interestingly, the carjack rate where the victim’s marital status was divorced/separated or “never married” is the same (0.17). It is possible that the “known offender” (26%), or perhaps dileberately not identified (10% was that the victim offender relationship is unknown) is an ex-husband or ex-boyfriend. It is also possible that these make up the majority of cases that happen at or near the home.
Some things I thought were missing in the report:
- The car is recovered 55% of the time, but there is no indication what shape the car is in. For example, was it stripped for parts, wrecked, or otherwise driveable.
- The number of offenders is not reported.
- I would have liked to see a deep dive for the victim’s martial status of divorced/separated. Do these primarily represent the home location, the victim injury, the known offenders?
- The report covers if the victim resisted the offender, but a footnote says that this resistance is not restricted to physical resistance. Some examples would be in order here. Is not opening the door an example of non-physical resistance? Is a defensive gun use where the gun is shown but not fired non-physical resistance? I don’t know.
I cover defenses against robbery extensively in my book. I feel there are still other options for self-defense, but the report would need to be expanded.