Drivers have been urged to keep their doors and windows locked (stock image) (Image: Getty)
Drivers have been urged “not to fall for” a scary “trap” in their car and instead keep their windows and doors locked.
Being on the roads comes with a lot of risks, and if you’re involved in a collision of any kind, it’s important to remain calm and safe.
Police UK states you must “stop at the scene” as it’s “a legal requirement to stop as soon as it is safe to do so”. You must switch off your engine and turn on your hazard lights, then check for any injuries to yourself or your passengers.
It’s important to “exchange details with anyone involved” and “provide your insurance details if requested”, but there are occasions where getting out of your vehicle might not feel safe.
Genevieve, who posts content online under the name Fitty Foodlicious, regularly shares “public safety tips for women” with her 59,000 followers on Instagram.
In a recent video, she detailed a “bait trick” which could be a sign of a scam – or danger. Genevieve, who is from America, received a phone call from her friend who was “panicking” after an incident on the road.
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She’d been en route home from work and had stopped at a red light in a “quiet neighbourhood” when a “dark car pulled up behind her” and “very lightly tapped her bumper”. Immediately, her friend thought this was “weird”.
In an Instagram video, Genevieve said: “This is potentially a human trafficking trick where they come up behind you, they tap your bumper, and then they try to get you out of your car and then they grab you.”
Her friend is aware of this “bait trick” and checked her rearview mirror where she saw the two men in the offending vehicle, who were dressed in dark clothing but, as it was night, “she couldn’t make out their faces”.
The men were “motioning for her to get out of her car” and urging her to “roll down her window” but she only opened it a touch.
She could hear one of the men shouting, “Miss, we accidentally hit your bumper, you’ve got to get out” and telling her they had to report the incident.
The woman felt uneasy so instead she drove off – but she didn’t go home in case they were following her. Instead, she went to a local business with a “super busy” carpark and walked inside the business where she then contacted police. When she inspected her car, she found no dent or signs of damage at all.
Genevieve added: “I cannot for certain say that these two men were doing this to my friend tonight but I can say with certainty that this has been happening and it is a bait trick – whether they’re trying to bump your car in order to rob you and take your purse, or to do something worse.”
In the caption, she elaborated: “If something similar happens to you, the best thing you can do is lock your doors and windows, do not get out of the car, and drive to a safe place, but whatever you do do not go home.
“You do not want to get yourself in a situation where they follow you home and they know where you live. The best thing you can do is go to a public place, go inside a business, and file a police report.”
Here in the UK, you must not leave the scene of a traffic collision. Under Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, you have to stop, turn off your engine and exchange details, regardless of fault. Driving away, known as a “hit-and-run” is a criminal offense, even if the damage is minor.
Still, you can keep your doors and windows locked if you feel you may have been targeted as part of a scam and call the police for help.
If you’re involved in a car accident, you must also contact your insurance company, even if you don’t intend to make a claim, within 24 hours.