The other day I got to a robot (or traffic light, whatever) and pulled out my phone to send a voice note to someone. You see, I thought I was being safe not texting but rather sending a voice note. How stupid. I need to lock my phone in the boot of the car because driving and using a phone are dangerous.
More dangerous? Pulling out your phone at the traffic lights (or robot, whatever). How many times do you see it? Women stationery and clicking away or scrolling. I can see them, you can see them but they don’t see anything else. They’re a prime target for smash and grabbers who will have that phone out of their hand in a matter of seconds. Worse still, possible hijackers! There have been some horror stories on the news lately and we all need to be a bit more aware.
The folks over at Ford have teamed up with some professional driving trainers from Driving Skills For Life Programme and shared with us 5 anti hijack tips you may want to keep in mind when driving around your city:
- Try remain alert to your surroundings at all times – especially at intersections and in the suburbs. Check those mirrors every few seconds!
- Be on the lookout for suspicious activities or vehicles. Would you notice if someone is following you?
- Always be prepared to take evasive action. So get off that phone! Quicker reflexes could save your life.
- Maintain ample following distances. I always like to slow down at a red robot so I keep moving and am never actually completely stationary.
- Allow for escape routes. Much like keeping safe following distances – never let yourself get boxed in. Unless they shut down the highway and you’re stuck… the rest of time try always have a route to “get out”.
