sr20ve.co.uk/drivesafely

Driving Safely on today's conjested roads by Paul Chadwick March 2006

Learn how to protect your self against:
1) Smash & Grab
2) Road rage
3) Car-jacking
4) Identity theft

Smash & Grab - Theft of belongings whilst car is parked or on the move

Smash & Grab - When Parked
1) Leave your car interior empty; even low value items such as cardigans or plastic bags attract attention from thieves to someone who may be careless with more valuable belongings.
2) Sometimes you have to carry valuables (Laptops, jewelry, phones, PDA’s cameras. Lock them in the Boot. Special note, do not wait until you park before depositing them in the boot, which simply alerts those who are ready watching. Instead draw into a petrol station before you arrive at your destination and conceal your valuables before you finally park.
3) Bluetooth is a common wireless network in phones, laptops, cameras & pda’s. Take care to disable or turn-off your device Bluetooth if secure in your boot. Thieves have taken to “sniffing” for transmissions and then breaking open cars for their technology source and taking it.

Smash & Grab - When Driving
Central locking is very helpful and best set to locked when driving around town in stop start traffic.
Beware of these scenarios that are popular in traffic congestion or perhaps at junctions/traffic lights.
1) Someone pop’s your boot (hood)and fetches out stuff (remember to use yourcentral locking)
2) You are distracted by someone asking for directions whilst another opens doors or boot to fetch your stuff (remember to use your central locking)
3) A Hooded Youth puts a brick through the passenger seat and grabs your “Gucci” handbag off the passenger seat. Don’t put your handbag /laptop on the passenger seat, instead lay them down in the foot well (more difficult to see)
4) Consider having a plastic lamination applied to all side windows including quarter lights. This makes penetration from The exterior impossible but is expensive (500.00gbp) http://www.pentagonglasstech.com

Safe Driving Box technique
You can exert more control over your environment if you have more space around you. When pulling up to junctions or traffic lights, leave a couple of metres between the front of your car and the rear of the one in front. This space allows you to increment forward should you get unwelcome pedestrian attention. In extreme circumstances the space would allow you to pull out and flee the scene. As a rule of thumb, if you can see the entire back wheel of vehicle in front of you, you have enough room to maneuver out. This technique is helpful at reducing the “Crowding” of other drivers, often people become aggravated when you get to close to their vehicle, as if were invading their personal space. It also gives you vital maneuvering space should an emergency vehicle want to part the stationery traffic.

Road Rage Scenarios
Road Rage usually takes two parties, an aggressor & a victim. This training is to help you avoid becoming a victim. Road-Ragers have by definition lost all sense of proportion; they take un-warranted actions & show extreme behaviour, often in an escalating stepped process. You do not want to be subjected to:
1) Shaking Fists at you inside their own car
2) All kinds or Gesticulations & Cursing with their windows open
3) Obstructing the course of your vehicle whilst doing the above
4) Stopping their car, approaching your vehicle and threatening you verbally
5) Crashing into your car, jumping out of their car with a weapon and unleashing on you and your car

Be Respectful – don’t trigger an explosion of road rage
Interrupting another person’s journey is usually what causes road rage, the invasion of their planned journey/personal space.
1) Avoid road rage through considerate driving and careful planning. Know where you are going, if you get lost then don’t impede the progress of others by dithering, pull over and ask for directions or pull over and read your map.
2) Mirror-Signal-Maneuver: Be aware of the location of other drivers and warn them of your intentions before you make your move
3) Do not make sudden lane changes
4) Do not weave on motorways or make “planned” undertaking moves
5) Do not pull out on approaching traffic causing them to change their course
6) Be civil and fair when moving out from “negotiated” junctions
7) Make space for other drivers to filter into your line of traffic
8) Do not overtake unnecessarily, for instance before road works filters, on congested roads, to get just one car length ahead
9) Dab your brake early for stop lights, roll up to the queue instead of heavy braking which can concertina & annoy following cars “trains”
10) Don’t participate in Motorway “herds” where you find yourself protecting your “place” and perhaps annoying those both in front and behind you.
11) Don’t take other peoples car parking space, give it up rather than fight for it.
12) Move to the inside lane well in advance of your motorway exit, do not “cut-up” other orderly drivers though your own misjudgment.
13) During the hot summer days, drivers are much more susceptible to road rage, take extra care in your driving style, use your air-conditioning.

OK – So you’ve got a Road-Rager behind you:
Maybe you’ve made a mistake or more likely you are simply perceived as being “in the way”. Your primary focus should be to get rid of them and diffuse any aggression.
First apologize through the windscreen/side glass with open hand gesture and mouthed apology (regardless of blame) then move left and encourage them to pass you. Do not make it appear as if you want to stop and argue the circumstances! A Road-Rager who passes and is in front of you will disappear and bother some other poor driver. Do not make "staring" eye contact, which is interpreted as aggressive behaviour.

Road-Rager - Shedding Techniques
1) At a roundabout, make a 360 degree circuit and rejoin your route a few cars back in the line
2) Signal & Turn-off to the left or the right, then rejoin your original route
3) Move into the slower lane
4) On motorways move over to the left, target a particularly slow HGV, signal left and carefully move in front of it, a place where your following rager cannot follow easily.

Make a Sorry Sign
A Road-Rager can become upset because you accidentally cut in front of him or her, or for other reasons that were not intentional. A key factor in reversing the process is an apology. Over 85 percent of road ragers said that they would drop the matter if the other "careless" driver simply apologized. Instead, road ragers claim, the "careless" driver seems to be unconcerned about what they just did and, therefore, needs to be taught a lesson.
In a car, only one method is effective in conveying an apology: A sign. We have found that it is very effective in warding off anger. In fact, many drivers actually smile when we raise a "SORRY" sign to them after we have accidentally done something wrong. We keep a "SORRY" sign in the map holder on the driver's door and the passenger's door. It could also be kept under the sun visor if it is fastened with a clip or rubber band so that it doesn't hit you in the face when the visor comes down.

Print this sign out on rigid card 8cmx20cm, secrete it behind your sun visor and use it whilst showing an apologetic face. Warning: If using the "Sorry" sign makes your driving unsafe, do not do it! Practice in using the sign when the car is not moving, such as in your driveway, will help to make use of it safer and easier. Practice will also help you determine whether using the sign in a particular situation will be more dangerous than not doing so.

Modern Car Theft
There are more prestige cars on the road then ever; there are criminal gangs desperate to take these cars for customer across the globe (stealing to order). It is not any longer just local youths thrill seeking & joy riding. The advanced security systems built into modern cars makes them virtually impossible to steal off the street without the original keys.
Most thefts of modern prestige cars are now linked into obtaining those original keys first.
1) Taking from your home driveway
2) Taking from your offices
3) Taking from temporary & general parking situations (7/11 stores & Petrol Stations)
4) Taking from you directly (Car-Jacking)

Taking from your Home Driveway
Thieves see the nice car on the driveway. They know that the keys are in the house, often adjacent to the door ready for the driver to pick-up. A popular method is push a fishing rod like tool through the letter box with powerful magnet and retrieve your keys from the “bowl” or wherever you leave it. Solution: Fit a key cupboard out of sight and reach of the front door, deposit your keys there, or if you are paranoid about break-ins have a “hidden” key cupboard.

Taking from your offices
People often believe that the office is free from thieves and leave their wallet, keys and phone on their desktops. There are always casual workers, non-employees for example – sandwich deliveries, window cleaners, partitioning teams, cleaners. Why take the risk, put you keys in a drawer out of sight.

Taking from Petrol stations, ATM’s, 7/11 Stores
Do not leave your keys in the ignition; do not leave your engine running. Do lock your car when you go to purchase/pay. Push your keys deep into a pocket where they cannot be snatched away.

Taking from Car Parks
When parking your car, reverse into the space, position your car for easy driver door access and pointing towards the exit route. Make an effort at the time of arrival to plan how to execute your departure. When you return to your car have your keys ready to open the door, start the engine & drive away. All of this pre-planning reduces your exposure to potentially hostile situations.

Car-Jacking Techniques
What is Car-Jacking? It is a criminal activity of stealing cars directly from you whilst you are actually driving, usually with some degree of force.

1) Bump & Rob
'The Bump' is where the carjacker will intentionally bump your vehicle from behind, usually only lightly and at low speed to avoid any great damage. Inevitably, the victim will pull over, stop and get out to exchange insurance details. The carjacker's accomplice (who is usually the carjacker's passenger) will then make off with your vehicle and the carjacker will also speed off leaving you stranded by the roadside.

2) 'The Fallen Number Plate'
Is where the carjackers will see the type of vehicle they want (remember, sometimes these criminals are stealing to order) and follow it until it parks. They will then unscrew the back number plate and wait until the victim drives off again. At some point, usually near a quieter stretch of road, the carjacker and his accomplice will overtake the victim and toot their car horn to attract the victim's attention. The victim will then notice this nice person waving the number plate, which must have fallen off their car at some point. Relieved to get their number plate back, the victim will inevitably pull over and get out to retrieve the plate from this 'Good Samaritan'. The carjacker's accomplice will then make off with your vehicle and the carjacker will drive off leaving you once again stranded by the roadside.

3) Physical Threat
The Jacker approaches your car in the blind spot when you are stationery, if the car is locked they tap your window to get attention; otherwise they open the door and order you out. They may threat to hit you, physically pull you from your seat or even hold you at gunpoint. Do not resist in these circumstances, your life is worth more than the car!

How to avoiding being Car Jacked
These are crimes of opportunity. If you are aware of the characteristics then you will better avoid falling prey:

1) Keep rolling, drive with anticipation at lights and junctions so that you spend the least amount of time stationery.

2) If you are rear end shunted or bumped, look at the perpetrator(s). Are they young and male, is there more than one in their car. Is the accident somehow strange and minor without cause? If you have concerns then do not open doors or windows but signal that you wish to deal with the paperwork down the road, drive to a well lit CCTV covered petrol station of busy public place.

3) Do not co-operate with number plate or any other flat tyre “scams”. Deal with your vehicle repairs separately to the attention of 3rd party motorists.

4) Pay particular care at night, thieves are better positioned to conceal their identity and that of the chase car

5) Avoid “Frost-Jacking”, always stay in attendance of a vehicle when it is demisting. You may wish to consider removing the keys whilst you scrape the windows.

6) Drive a car that is not considered prestige, new or popular!

How to reduce the consequences of a Car Jacking

1) Separate your car keys from your house keys so that if your car keys are taken the down-sides are minimized

2) Fit a tracker device (GPS based radio signaling) Police can locate a stolen car in minutes. It does cost installation and monthly fees though: http://www.tracker.co.uk/home.php?SVR

3) When you leave your vehicle for any reason carry your handbag, wallet & mobile. If your vehicle is taken then that is all that you lose.

Identity Theft
This is an increasing trend for both domestic and vehicle identity. Criminals don’t like being identified when they travel, or paying parking fines and speeding tickets. Their chosen avoidance method is to pretend to be someone else! The number plate of your car is how identity is determined. Policemen and increasingly recognition systems rely on your plate. The UK government has rigidly controlled issuance of new plates so this is no longer easy for criminals to make their own. Thieves steal number plates, if yours are mysteriously absent one day then you should worry.
Solution: Make your plates difficult to get, thieves will give-up & go elsewhere
Fix your number plates with tamper proof screws; this reduces some instances of certain Car Jacking scams too.

Beat the thieves! Clutch head or 'one way' design lets you put these screws in with an ordinary slotted screwdriver, but removing them is virtually impossible. Clutch Head, Hardened, Twin Thread, Zinc Plated

Found this useful? How about making a donation to keep this page available to your family & friends.

Further Reading:
http://www.awesomelibrary.org/road-rage.html

http://www.thinkingdriver.com/psychology.shtml

http://www.securityandsafety.co.uk/evasive_driving2.htm


HomePage Engine Install Electronic Multimedia Gallery Motorhome Thermoblok Credit/Links For Sale Dyno Alt Fuel Octane DriveSafely	Driving Safely on today's conjested roads by Paul Chadwick March 2006 Learn how to protect your self against: 1) Smash & Grab 2) Road rage 3) Car-jacking 4) Identity theft Smash & Grab - Theft of belongings whilst car is parked or on the move Smash & Grab - When Parked 1) Leave your car interior empty; even low value items such as cardigans or plastic bags attract attention from thieves to someone who may be careless with more valuable belongings. 2) Sometimes you have to carry valuables (Laptops, jewelry, phones, PDA’s cameras. Lock them in the Boot. Special note, do not wait until you park before depositing them in the boot, which simply alerts those who are ready watching. Instead draw into a petrol station before you arrive at your destination and conceal your valuables before you finally park. 3) Bluetooth is a common wireless network in phones, laptops, cameras & pda’s. Take care to disable or turn-off your device Bluetooth if secure in your boot. Thieves have taken to “sniffing” for transmissions and then breaking open cars for their technology source and taking it. Smash & Grab - When Driving Central locking is very helpful and best set to locked when driving around town in stop start traffic. Beware of these scenarios that are popular in traffic congestion or perhaps at junctions/traffic lights. 1) Someone pop’s your boot (hood)and fetches out stuff (remember to use yourcentral locking) 2) You are distracted by someone asking for directions whilst another opens doors or boot to fetch your stuff (remember to use your central locking) 3) A Hooded Youth puts a brick through the passenger seat and grabs your “Gucci” handbag off the passenger seat. Don’t put your handbag /laptop on the passenger seat, instead lay them down in the foot well (more difficult to see) 4) Consider having a plastic lamination applied to all side windows including quarter lights. This makes penetration from The exterior impossible but is expensive (500.00gbp) http://www.pentagonglasstech.com Safe Driving Box technique You can exert more control over your environment if you have more space around you. When pulling up to junctions or traffic lights, leave a couple of metres between the front of your car and the rear of the one in front. This space allows you to increment forward should you get unwelcome pedestrian attention. In extreme circumstances the space would allow you to pull out and flee the scene. As a rule of thumb, if you can see the entire back wheel of vehicle in front of you, you have enough room to maneuver out. This technique is helpful at reducing the “Crowding” of other drivers, often people become aggravated when you get to close to their vehicle, as if were invading their personal space. It also gives you vital maneuvering space should an emergency vehicle want to part the stationery traffic. Road Rage Scenarios Road Rage usually takes two parties, an aggressor & a victim. This training is to help you avoid becoming a victim. Road-Ragers have by definition lost all sense of proportion; they take un-warranted actions & show extreme behaviour, often in an escalating stepped process. You do not want to be subjected to: 1) Shaking Fists at you inside their own car 2) All kinds or Gesticulations & Cursing with their windows open 3) Obstructing the course of your vehicle whilst doing the above 4) Stopping their car, approaching your vehicle and threatening you verbally 5) Crashing into your car, jumping out of their car with a weapon and unleashing on you and your car Be Respectful – don’t trigger an explosion of road rage Interrupting another person’s journey is usually what causes road rage, the invasion of their planned journey/personal space. 1) Avoid road rage through considerate driving and careful planning. Know where you are going, if you get lost then don’t impede the progress of others by dithering, pull over and ask for directions or pull over and read your map. 2) Mirror-Signal-Maneuver: Be aware of the location of other drivers and warn them of your intentions before you make your move 3) Do not make sudden lane changes 4) Do not weave on motorways or make “planned” undertaking moves 5) Do not pull out on approaching traffic causing them to change their course 6) Be civil and fair when moving out from “negotiated” junctions 7) Make space for other drivers to filter into your line of traffic 8) Do not overtake unnecessarily, for instance before road works filters, on congested roads, to get just one car length ahead 9) Dab your brake early for stop lights, roll up to the queue instead of heavy braking which can concertina & annoy following cars “trains” 10) Don’t participate in Motorway “herds” where you find yourself protecting your “place” and perhaps annoying those both in front and behind you. 11) Don’t take other peoples car parking space, give it up rather than fight for it. 12) Move to the inside lane well in advance of your motorway exit, do not “cut-up” other orderly drivers though your own misjudgment. 13) During the hot summer days, drivers are much more susceptible to road rage, take extra care in your driving style, use your air-conditioning. OK – So you’ve got a Road-Rager behind you: Maybe you’ve made a mistake or more likely you are simply perceived as being “in the way”. Your primary focus should be to get rid of them and diffuse any aggression. First apologize through the windscreen/side glass with open hand gesture and mouthed apology (regardless of blame) then move left and encourage them to pass you. Do not make it appear as if you want to stop and argue the circumstances! A Road-Rager who passes and is in front of you will disappear and bother some other poor driver. Do not make "staring" eye contact, which is interpreted as aggressive behaviour. Road-Rager - Shedding Techniques 1) At a roundabout, make a 360 degree circuit and rejoin your route a few cars back in the line 2) Signal & Turn-off to the left or the right, then rejoin your original route 3) Move into the slower lane 4) On motorways move over to the left, target a particularly slow HGV, signal left and carefully move in front of it, a place where your following rager cannot follow easily. Make a Sorry Sign A Road-Rager can become upset because you accidentally cut in front of him or her, or for other reasons that were not intentional. A key factor in reversing the process is an apology. Over 85 percent of road ragers said that they would drop the matter if the other "careless" driver simply apologized. Instead, road ragers claim, the "careless" driver seems to be unconcerned about what they just did and, therefore, needs to be taught a lesson. In a car, only one method is effective in conveying an apology: A sign. We have found that it is very effective in warding off anger. In fact, many drivers actually smile when we raise a "SORRY" sign to them after we have accidentally done something wrong. We keep a "SORRY" sign in the map holder on the driver's door and the passenger's door. It could also be kept under the sun visor if it is fastened with a clip or rubber band so that it doesn't hit you in the face when the visor comes down. Print this sign out on rigid card 8cmx20cm, secrete it behind your sun visor and use it whilst showing an apologetic face. Warning: If using the "Sorry" sign makes your driving unsafe, do not do it! Practice in using the sign when the car is not moving, such as in your driveway, will help to make use of it safer and easier. Practice will also help you determine whether using the sign in a particular situation will be more dangerous than not doing so. Modern Car Theft There are more prestige cars on the road then ever; there are criminal gangs desperate to take these cars for customer across the globe (stealing to order). It is not any longer just local youths thrill seeking & joy riding. The advanced security systems built into modern cars makes them virtually impossible to steal off the street without the original keys. Most thefts of modern prestige cars are now linked into obtaining those original keys first. 1) Taking from your home driveway 2) Taking from your offices 3) Taking from temporary & general parking situations (7/11 stores & Petrol Stations) 4) Taking from you directly (Car-Jacking) Taking from your Home Driveway Thieves see the nice car on the driveway. They know that the keys are in the house, often adjacent to the door ready for the driver to pick-up. A popular method is push a fishing rod like tool through the letter box with powerful magnet and retrieve your keys from the “bowl” or wherever you leave it. Solution: Fit a key cupboard out of sight and reach of the front door, deposit your keys there, or if you are paranoid about break-ins have a “hidden” key cupboard. Taking from your offices People often believe that the office is free from thieves and leave their wallet, keys and phone on their desktops. There are always casual workers, non-employees for example – sandwich deliveries, window cleaners, partitioning teams, cleaners. Why take the risk, put you keys in a drawer out of sight. Taking from Petrol stations, ATM’s, 7/11 Stores Do not leave your keys in the ignition; do not leave your engine running. Do lock your car when you go to purchase/pay. Push your keys deep into a pocket where they cannot be snatched away. Taking from Car Parks When parking your car, reverse into the space, position your car for easy driver door access and pointing towards the exit route. Make an effort at the time of arrival to plan how to execute your departure. When you return to your car have your keys ready to open the door, start the engine & drive away. All of this pre-planning reduces your exposure to potentially hostile situations. Car-Jacking Techniques What is Car-Jacking? It is a criminal activity of stealing cars directly from you whilst you are actually driving, usually with some degree of force. 1) Bump & Rob 'The Bump' is where the carjacker will intentionally bump your vehicle from behind, usually only lightly and at low speed to avoid any great damage. Inevitably, the victim will pull over, stop and get out to exchange insurance details. The carjacker's accomplice (who is usually the carjacker's passenger) will then make off with your vehicle and the carjacker will also speed off leaving you stranded by the roadside. 2) 'The Fallen Number Plate' Is where the carjackers will see the type of vehicle they want (remember, sometimes these criminals are stealing to order) and follow it until it parks. They will then unscrew the back number plate and wait until the victim drives off again. At some point, usually near a quieter stretch of road, the carjacker and his accomplice will overtake the victim and toot their car horn to attract the victim's attention. The victim will then notice this nice person waving the number plate, which must have fallen off their car at some point. Relieved to get their number plate back, the victim will inevitably pull over and get out to retrieve the plate from this 'Good Samaritan'. The carjacker's accomplice will then make off with your vehicle and the carjacker will drive off leaving you once again stranded by the roadside. 3) Physical Threat The Jacker approaches your car in the blind spot when you are stationery, if the car is locked they tap your window to get attention; otherwise they open the door and order you out. They may threat to hit you, physically pull you from your seat or even hold you at gunpoint. Do not resist in these circumstances, your life is worth more than the car! How to avoiding being Car Jacked These are crimes of opportunity. If you are aware of the characteristics then you will better avoid falling prey: 1) Keep rolling, drive with anticipation at lights and junctions so that you spend the least amount of time stationery. 2) If you are rear end shunted or bumped, look at the perpetrator(s). Are they young and male, is there more than one in their car. Is the accident somehow strange and minor without cause? If you have concerns then do not open doors or windows but signal that you wish to deal with the paperwork down the road, drive to a well lit CCTV covered petrol station of busy public place. 3) Do not co-operate with number plate or any other flat tyre “scams”. Deal with your vehicle repairs separately to the attention of 3rd party motorists. 4) Pay particular care at night, thieves are better positioned to conceal their identity and that of the chase car 5) Avoid “Frost-Jacking”, always stay in attendance of a vehicle when it is demisting. You may wish to consider removing the keys whilst you scrape the windows. 6) Drive a car that is not considered prestige, new or popular! How to reduce the consequences of a Car Jacking 1) Separate your car keys from your house keys so that if your car keys are taken the down-sides are minimized 2) Fit a tracker device (GPS based radio signaling) Police can locate a stolen car in minutes. It does cost installation and monthly fees though: http://www.tracker.co.uk/home.php?SVR 3) When you leave your vehicle for any reason carry your handbag, wallet & mobile. If your vehicle is taken then that is all that you lose. Identity Theft This is an increasing trend for both domestic and vehicle identity. Criminals don’t like being identified when they travel, or paying parking fines and speeding tickets. Their chosen avoidance method is to pretend to be someone else! The number plate of your car is how identity is determined. Policemen and increasingly recognition systems rely on your plate. The UK government has rigidly controlled issuance of new plates so this is no longer easy for criminals to make their own. Thieves steal number plates, if yours are mysteriously absent one day then you should worry. Solution: Make your plates difficult to get, thieves will give-up & go elsewhere Fix your number plates with tamper proof screws; this reduces some instances of certain Car Jacking scams too. Beat the thieves! Clutch head or 'one way' design lets you put these screws in with an ordinary slotted screwdriver, but removing them is virtually impossible. Clutch Head, Hardened, Twin Thread, Zinc Plated Found this useful? How about making a donation to keep this page available to your family & friends. Further Reading: http://www.awesomelibrary.org/road-rage.html http://www.thinkingdriver.com/psychology.shtml http://www.securityandsafety.co.uk/evasive_driving2.htm
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