Spiking: stay safe on the N4! 

Rustenburg – The Platinum Weekly has recently been made aware of concerning incidents taking place along the N4 highway. 

These incidents, which involve the deliberate placement of obstacles such as rocks and spikes on the road, peak between the hours of 18:00 04:00. We’ve seen this before and keep reminding motorists about it from time to time.

The threatening goal behind these actions is to force motorists into stopping, thereby making them easy targets for hijacking, theft, and in more severe cases, kidnapping or lethal assaults.
To the members of our community, the advice is clear and straightforward: if you encounter such obstacles, DO NOT pull over. 

Your life is worth more than your vehicle’s rims.
Should your vehicle run over spikes, it is advised to continue driving for at least four or five kilometres. This allows time to reach out for help. 

Mike Bolhuis, Specialist Investigators into Serious Violent, Serious Economic Crimes & Serious Cybercrimes, alerts us to a worrying escalation of such criminal activities across South Africa. Bolhuis highlights an alarming rise in the strategy of using spikes to immobilise vehicles, providing criminals with the opportunity to pounce on unsuspecting drivers.

“For the wellbeing of you and your passengers, remain alert and vigilant. If possible, choose to travel during the day rather than at night. It’s also advisable to moderate your speed while navigating the highway, thus improving your chances of identifying and reacting quicker to potential dangers ahead,” Bolhuis added.