Accident Criminals HEALTH AND SAFETY Leisure Rape Robbery Security Travel

Before Embarking on that Long Journey

People travel everyday for various reasons, but people travel more during international holidays for leisure; to visit their loved ones, partake in ceremonies, and tourism. One of such international

holidays is the Christmas Holidays. This holidays accounts for the period with the highest number of travels globally because of its religious nature as well as taking place in the last month of the year.

Godian Ezechinyere Ogulewe, a security expert with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps shares his wealth of experience in the line of duty as it concerns safety as we embark on long journeys this session.
  1. Service your vehicle, as well as make sure you have enough fuel, extra spark plugs, spare tyres, tyre inflator, extra bulbs and repair kit.
  2. Do not leave valuables (phones, watches, handbags, wallets, jewelries etc.) in your car; it attracts the attention of robbers to your car.
  3. Lock your car doors while driving and close up your windscreen.
  4. Do not stop or pack at lonely places or robbery prone areas (hot zones) if you see or hear something thrown on your car it might be a ploy to slow you down and rob you.
  5. If you are a commercial motorist, let your passengers drop every of their luggage inside the car booth. Many criminals conceal their guns in electronics, vehicle battery, bags that contains spare part, teddies, bread, vegetables, etc., to beat security and to rob you at any place and time.
  6. Drop passengers at bus stops or public places only. You run the risks of being attacked if you stop at lonely places and robbery prone areas (hot spots). Even if the passenger is pressed, look for a public or security checkpoint and stop for him or her to excrete.
  7. Do not attempt to use your windscreen wiper if any sticky thing like egg is thrown on your screen, it will only blot your vision and force you to stop, instead manage till the nearest public place before attending to it. Criminals use it as a ploy to stop you.
  8. Do not remove your car alarm if children are playing around it and setting it off; someone might have told them to do so, to make you put it off thereby making it free for them to access the car unnoticed.
  9. Do not leave anything attractive visible inside your car. A little fancy object might attract criminals breaking into your car.
  10. In traffic jam or hold up, do not be too fast in responding to beggars. First lock your passenger’s door and windscreen; one may be distracting you while the other is robbing you from the other side. The same way, when someone tells you that you have a flat tyre or something is burning in your car.
  11. Change your car lock and ignition key if you are to use the car within the state it was bought, the seller might have the spare.
  12. Do not live your car key at the door to attend to anything; you may turn back to notice your car is no longer where it was parked.
  13. If you are to open your own gate when coming home, off your ignition, lock your car and take your keys before opening the gate, someone may have being monitoring or observing this routine with the intention to steal your car.
  14. Make use of car security. You can install car tracker or fuel cut or any other car security affordable to you. It is better to protect with some reasonable amount than to lose it.
  15. Make use of steering, pedal and tyre lock if you cannot afford better expensive ones. You can as well buy an alarm padlock for your car pedals. The alarm will trigger when somebody touches it.
  16. Before going to car wash, remove all sensitive items and valuables in your car, including your car particulars, business files and notebooks to avoid exposing your net worth.
  17. Do not live your car keys for non-reputable car washers; rather open the car doors and stay to monitor them. It is better to spend few minutes for your car than to stay away and lose valuables.
  18. If your car tyre burst or breaks down on the road pull or push it to a nearby shop or business area where it would be watched over; remove all valuables, lock it and take your key as usual before going to call for a mechanic or a technician.
  19. Do not stop if your car is hit behind by another car in a hot zone. If you must stop, stop at any check point or safer area. It might be a trick to make you stop and be robbed, abducted or even assassinated.
  20. Do not stop if you have a flat tyre at a hot or lonely area. It is better to lose one tyre than to lose the entire vehicle or your life too.
  21. Do not overrun or drive on any object on the road like nylon, bags, fruits, rags etc. sharp objects like nails might have being planted in just to puncture your tyres.
  22. Engrave the plate number of your car on the windscreen and mirror of your car; this will make it easy to be found when stolen and difficult to sell if stolen. No need to steal what can neither be used nor sold.
  23. Do not travel in the night to reduce the risks of accident, robbery and rape. Moreover, it is easier to get help in the day if the need arises. 

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