What If You’re Caught in a Riot While Driving?

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Imagine you’re driving your car through the city on a typical day. You take a turn, and suddenly find yourself surrounded by a rioting mass of protesters. Would you be able to escape them safely? Riots are much more dangerous than many people think. If you find yourself surrounded by a mob of angry people, you are not safe, even if you are not the main focus of the riot.

The good news is that if you are in your car during the riot, then you also have a good method of escape because you have a physical barricade between you and them. Nonetheless, this does not mean you are safe just because you are in your vehicle. There’s nothing rioters love more than hijacking or overturning vehicles.

This means there is a very strong possibility that the rioters may forcefully open your doors, drag you out, beat you up, and steal your car with everything–or everyone–in it.

So what can you do to escape a riot in your vehicle? Let’s find out.

Avoid The Riot

The most important way to prepare for a riot is to simply avoid it if at all possible. Unfortunately, riots and protests are very unpredictable, so it can be very difficult to avoid them.

On the other hand, many protests are planned several days, weeks, or even months in advance, so if you are aware of when and where a protest is going to take place, you can easily avoid the time and area.

If you’re going to be out, check online to see if any protests are planned. Stay on alert, and look for any signs of an impending protest or riot around you. Don’t let yourself become distracted by electronic devices either.

Be Ready To Defend Yourself

Since riots are extremely dangerous, you must be prepared to defend yourself during them. The best way to defend yourself is to have a weapon. Some people like to keep an anti-carjacking handgun in their car, and they will keep it secured either in a holster or a safe that’s mounted to the car, such as under the seat, in the glove compartment, or in between the seat and the console.

The only downside to this is if anyone else gets control of your vehicle, they will have control of your firearm as well. For this reason, other people like to include an alternative defensive tool in their car such as pepper spray.

If you do opt to carry a gun, it would be wiser to carry it on your person and in a position where you can access it quickly from a seated position (such as appendix carry or a shoulder holster).

Secure Yourself In The Vehicle

Once you see that a riot is imminent or happening, you now need to secure yourself in your vehicle. That obviously means you need to lock your doors, so if you have a car where the doors do not lock automatically, make it a habit to lock them the moment you get inside.

You should also shut off the ventilation system in your vehicle, so any tear gas that law enforcement throws into the crowd won’t affect you. Your windows will need to be rolled all the way up for the same reason.

Don’t Wear Your Seatbelt

Wait, you shouldn’t wear your seatbelt? Not during a riot. The main reason for this is because seatbelts will hinder our ability to make a quick escape. They can also impede your ability to draw your weapon.

Don’t Run Over People

In movies or TV shows where characters find themselves in the riot, often times they will drive through the riot quickly while hitting or even running over multiple people on the way. In reality, this is one of the very worst things you can do.

For one thing, it’s illegal! If a police officer sees you do this, you could be arrested for assault and possibly murder.

I don’t care how angry you are with the rioters, the penalty for rioting should not be death. Besides, running people over will only gain the attention of other rioters and cause them to attack your vehicle. In a riot, the last thing you want to do is draw attention to yourself. Instead, you need to carefully navigate your way through the crowd.

Push People Rather Than Hitting Them

While you can’t use your vehicle to hit people or run them over (at least not legally or wisely), you can use it to push or shove them aside. If someone is in your path, for instance, you can drive slowly forward and once they see you’re not slowing down, they may step aside. Furthermore, you actually can hit people with your car if you do it defensively.

However, the moment people begin attacking your car and trying to pull you out, the game has changed. Now you can begin to accelerate and forcefully use your vehicle to push them aside. Still, don’t hit them any harder than necessary.

Stay On The Move

Regardless of whether you’re driving fast or slow, keep your foot on the gas pedal throughout the rioting. The key to escaping is to always be moving, even if it’s slow.

Riots are extremely dangerous, but the truth is, you’re probably safer escaping them from within your vehicle rather than outside it. However, this still doesn’t mean you are automatically safe by just being in your car.

Therefore, you need to take these tips seriously and apply them when you actually find yourself in the riot.

The next thing for you to do is study riots so you can be aware of basic tactics rioters will use. Find out where roadblocks will be, and avoid the riot at all costs. But if find yourself in the middle of a riot anyway, put the tips you have learned to good use.

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