Incidents in Gauteng where criminals throw spikes across a road to immobilise vehicles and then rob the occupants of their valuables have risen dramatically in recent months.
Motorists must therefore be extra vigilant when travelling through the province and its neighbouring regions, especially at night as most of the incidents take place under the guise of darkness, according to MasterDrive CEO Eugene Herbert.
Due to the low visibility and high speeds at which they occur, the nature of the crime makes it quite difficult to completely safeguard oneself from the criminals.
However, Herbert has provided a few methods with which motorists can reduce their risk on the roads and increase their chances of avoiding the horrid situation.
These include:
- Avoid driving over anything on the road including plastic bags
- When passing under a bridge, change lanes just before you pass
- Reduce your speed to increase your chances of seeing obstacles on the road
- Concrete lintels are being used as well. If you cannot avoid them any other way, slow down and carefully drive over them
- If the circumstances allow, travel straddling two lanes as it may help you miss spikes being placed in the lane
- If there is another vehicle present, drive six seconds or more behind so their driving can alert you if anything is amiss
- If the highway is quiet enough and safety allows for it, drive across the island (if it is possible) and travel in the opposite direction
- If you spot an obstacle before you reach it, move into the emergency lane or onto the grass if that section of the highway allows for it
If the unfortunate happens and you do hit a spike, reduce your speed to approximately 30-40km/h and continue driving to the nearest place of safety instead of stopping immediately.
“If you do not make it to a place of safety but do obtain some distance between yourself and the criminals, get out of your car and safely find a place to conceal yourself and call for help,” said Herbert.
It is vitally important that you do not panic or engage with the criminals as this can put your life at risk.
If you managed to safely move past the spikes, contact authorities immediately to prevent any other motorists from falling victim to the criminals.
High-risk roads
Through docket and crime pattern analysis, the Gauteng Police has identified 10 high-risk roads where spiking and car accidents happen the most frequently due to lacking infrastructure.
These are:
- N1 – Midrand to Carousel
- N1 South – Naturena to Vaal River
- N3 South – Leondale to Heidelberg
- N4 East – Towards Bronkhorstspruit
- N4 West – Akasia to Brits
- N12 Golden Highway – Towards Potchefstroom
- N17 Freeway – Wemmer Pan to Devon
- R59 – Tulisa Park to Vaal River
- R80 Mabopane Freeway – Eskia Mphahlele Road to Soshanguve
- Ben Schoeman Road – Midrand to Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has confirmed that his department is actively looking into addressing the issues on these routes at a provincial scale, stating that the national transport department is responsible for the roads that are located outside of Gauteng.
Keyword: 8 ways to avoid spikes placed in the road in South Africa