During the festive season there is traditionally a spike in crime.
Milly Barnard, community development manager for Fidelity ADT, said recently a disturbing trend has been picked up in drive-thrus at retail outlets in the Boksburg and Benoni areas.
“Armed suspects are cornering motorists as they leave the drive thru. We have had five incidents in one week alone,” said Barnard.
To avoid becoming a victim at intersections, Barnard offers the following safety tips:
- Criminals are usually after valuable items such as handbags, laptops, shopping bags, gym bags and cell phones. The most important thing is to never put these items on a seat or on the floor of your car where they are visible to criminals. The boot is always preferred.
- Remember to lock all doors and close windows
- Avoid getting into discussions with street vendors
- Constantly be aware of your surroundings.
- Do not be distracted at a robot by talking on your phone.
- Consider fitting your windows with a polycarb film. These can be tinted so that no one can see into the car, while also preventing the windows from shattering.
- Leave a gap between you and the car in front of you to give you room to escape if you need to.
- Be constantly on the lookout for suspicious looking characters and be wary of people standing at intersections.
ALSO READ: ‘Smash-and-grabs’ – how you can avoid it happening to you .
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