The Sky Is Falling

The picture to the left is that of a BMW in Germany in which a 20 woman was killed and her Grandparents injured when 3 teenagers threw rocks from an overpass.

Look through Google and you'll find thousands of incidents related to hooligans throwing objects from overpasses...a lot of them result in major damage to vehicles, some to injured drivers and passengers and a few even lead to fatalities.

Here's a good habit to get into when driving under any overpass/bridge...look up and see if you can see anyone up there. If you do, make every effort to change lanes just in case. This is something I do at night anyway, whether I see anyone up there or not.

Another avoidance strategy - assuming you can't change lanes due to traffic - is to rapidly decelerate or accelerate.


Let's assume a worst case scenario...your car is hit and you're still alive and mobile. DO NOT STOP the car. A favourite tactic of gangs in Central and South America is to have their friends wait 400 yards up the road out of view. When the hapless motorist pulls over to inspect the damage, the friends descend upon them and rob/rape/pillage etc. It's only a matter of time before that trend makes its way here. Don't be the first victim of it in your country.

So, just to recap. Scan overpasses as you near them. If you see someone, change lanes and or vary speed. If you do get hit, don't stop until later when it's safe such as in a rest area or gas station. Once again, awareness is going to be your primary defense.

Nick