It is almost the festive season and with that comes a high rate of smash-and-grabs and hit-and-runs.
Arrive Alive said criminals tried all sorts of tricks to carry out their criminal activities. This includes placing rocks and other structures on the road surface or throwing rocks from bridges onto vehicles with the intent of causing a road crash to rob crash victims of their possessions.
Should you find yourself witnessing or being a victim of smash-and-grabs or hit-and-runs, Arrive Alive has advised people to do the following:
- When observing a hijacking or smash-and-grab attack, do not exit your vehicle to try and assist the victim. No one is faster than a bullet, so don’t put your life in danger.
- Make observations if at all possible, but your first objective is to stay safe.
- Make yourself a smaller target inside your vehicle by lowering yourself behind the dashboard and call for police assistance on the emergency number.
During a hit-and-run:
- A witness should never attempt to follow a hit-and-run vehicle. In the worst-case scenario, the witness could be the suspect’s next victim.
- Without jeopardising your safety, attend to the victim, but try and memorise as much of the circumstances that took place and report to the authorities.
- Requesting immediate medical assistance and securing the scene to prevent a secondary collision into the victim, would do far more for the victim than chasing after an offender.
- A witness should take note of the incident itself, assisting police officials with details of what has occurred.
- You may try to record the registration number but it is also important to try remembering the make and model of the vehicle, and any other distinctive marks (advert on the window). If you are not fluent in identifying types of vehicles, try to remember a description thereof.
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