It’s frightening enough when you get into a fender bender by accident, but when a fender bender happens to you - intentionally - it’s usually not with someone wanting to exchange chicken a la king recipes. It happens for more nefarious reasons.

Car hijacking has taken on another dimension in recent months. The hijacker merely bumps your car to force you to stop, and when you get out to see the damage, the hijacking occurs. What happens next is entirely unpredictable but you should know that it is your actions that will ultimately determine the outcome.

If it happens to you, here’s what you need to do.

1. Follow the hijacker’s instructions, to the letter.
2. Try your hardest not to get all emotional and panic.
3. Don’t make any sudden movements that might scare the hijacker into doing something horrendous.
4. If you have a passenger or a child in a car seat, point it out to the hijacker who hopefully will permit them to be taken out of the car.
5. Don’t make eye contact, but do try to discern some distinguishing feature of your hijacker.
6. Turn over your car and its contents willingly.

Remember, nothing is as important as your life or the life of your passenger(s). This is not a time for heroics or an attempt to outwit the would-be hijacker. Those things only play out positively on television and in the movies. In real life, it’s an entirely different situation.