Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to the point, the “victim” role players are pleading with their captors in
English. Whom do you think they are preparing for?
PROTECTING AGAINST CAR ATTACKS
How can anyone protect themselves from this type of attack? Certainly
there are ways. One way is an effectively armored vehicle and security per-
sonnel in lead and chase cars. However, since most of us do not have the
luxury of that level of security, we must act so that we never get to the
point where we will be the target for that type of assault. To do this you
need to follow the recommendations of this chapter religiously. While
doing so is no guarantee that you will not be attacked, it certainly will
lower your chances of being the victim of this type of assault. It is vitally
important never to deviate from these procedures for any reason.
Be Alert
The first rule to keep in mind is to be alert for anything unusual even
before you enter your vehicle. Think about it. You are about to drive some-
place in a foreign country. You really don't know the rules and generally
can't yet spot things that are out of the ordinary. You might have already
been targeted for a robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, assault, or assassina-
tion. So you pay extra careful attention to your vehicle and to the vehicles
and individuals in close proximity to your car. Remember that you are par-
ticularly vulnerable while you're getting into your car. The next time you
are in a busy parking lot, take a few minutes to observe people as they walk
to their cars. Few people bother to look around and see if anything looks
unusual, suspicious, or out of place. Watch as they insert their key into the
door lock. No one looks around before they do it. While they are placing
the key into the lock, where is their focus? Of course it is on the door lock,
where they are trying to insert the key— a proposition that is even more
difficult if they are burdened with packages that they have not set down.
One veteran Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agent used to choose that
exact moment to take pictures of the bad guys. He would walk up close to
the subject's vehicle and snap the picture the instant the key went in. He
always got great close-up shots and was never caught. People were just not
paying attention and were easily distracted.
