There are many stories on social media of people who have had their cars followed. Have you ever had that feeling that someone might be following your car? Sometimes, most people don’t even realize that their cars are being followed.
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That’s why it’s important to double-check whether a car behind you is following you by coincidence or on purpose.
Although you might be in your car, there’s every chance to experience unsafety even while driving. A must-do car safety tip is to identify whether the car happens to be going your lane or they are tracking you. When you find out that a car is tracking you, here are helpful things to do immediately.
How To Know When A Car Is Intentionally Following You
Sometimes, it can be hard to tell if a car is intentionally following you or if it’s another coincidence. If you are struggling to know if a car is following you, here are things to do.
- Take An Exit Off The Highway
This applies to when you realize you’re being followed on the highway. When you are driving on the highway and realize you are being followed, drive off the highway onto the nearest entrance and merge back onto the highway through a different lane.
When you drive back on the highway and realize the car is still coming behind you, that’s a clear sign that you’re being followed. It’s impossible to leave the highway, return and still find the same car behind you.
- Make A Brief Stop
To know if a car is following you, make a brief stop at a busy area and watch what the driver does. If the driver stops as well or starts moving slowly to stop ahead of you, that’s another clear sign that whoever is driving has an interest in you.
- The Car is Trying To Overtake & Block You
There’s a difference between a car that wants to overtake you the one that wants to overtake and block you. The moment you realize an oncoming vehicle is aggressively trying to overtake and block you, do not allow them the chance; it could mean they are following you.
- Change Your Speed Limit
To know if a car is actively following you, increase your speed limit and monitor if the car behind you also picks up pace. If the car behind you increases its pace, they are following you.
What To Do When You Are Being Followed
Assuming you’ve realized that the vehicle behind is actually following you, here are things you should immediately do for safety.
- Rolls up your car windows and lock your doors immediately
- Keep moving, do not stop moving or stop down to allow the vehicle to overtake you
- Avoid driving home, this could mean giving the driver your home address
- Avoid driving through deserted side roads and keep moving with traffic if possible
- If you have service where you are, pull out your phone and call the police immediately
- Instead of your house, drive to the nearest police station immediately
- While driving, try as much as possible to capture the license plate number, make, and model of the vehicle driving behind you; you’ll need it for a complaint with the police
Conclusion
Many people have fallen victim to their cars being followed by strangers. For safety purposes, always ensure no vehicle is following you home by practising these tips.
