Barcelona motorway dangers

[onlyMark]

Mods,
I've put this here for general viewing and information but later it may well be put in the Spain boards as a more fitting place. I thought it worthy of sticking up here first though.

I thought I'd make anyone who reads this aware of a problem on the motorways near Barcelona. There have been a number of reports about cars being stopped, even by what appears to be one of the tyres being shot out somehow, and the occupants robbed. The offenders then make their getaway in stolen cars. Obviously you can't follow them because you've only three working wheels. I've read of this happening several times but never gave it much thought.
Until today.
Guess what?

I'd not long left the toll booth on the motorway this morning, in pouring rain, when I realised I had a sudden puncture in the right side rear wheel. This happened as I was slowly overtaking some cars in the right hand lane. I moved over to the hard shoulder after finding a gap in the right lane traffic and came to a stop.

I got out of the car and saw the flat tyre. I could see a rip in the sidewall. Most unusual, I thought, as it was a virtually new branded tyre and also normally sidewall damage occurs on stoney/rough roads, not on a smooth motorway.
As I was at the back of the car I was wary of the heavy traffic close by. I looked back down the road to see a car also on the hard shoulder, but just pulling away. I could have sworn blind it wasn't there when I had to move across the lanes to stop.
My brain began to tickle.

The car pulled past me and came to a stop also on the hard shoulder, now ten metres or so in front of me. I had seen, as it passed, two men inside.
I opened the rear tailgate and told my daughter, sitting in the front, to lock the doors from the inside after I close the tailgate. I rummaged quickly in my tool box and grabbed the wheel brace, which I would need anyway. As I closed the tailgate the daughter pressed the button to lock all the doors.

The two men, by this time, got out of the car and paused a second to put on their compulsory, in Spain, fluorescent jackets. I was standing by the right rear, one man came towards me, the second, suspiciously, walked into the danger area of between my car and the very close by motorway with its speeding trucks. He then walked towards the back of the car but paused first by the drivers door.
I moved then further backwards so they both stayed in front of me. I didn't want one behind me.

The following conversation took place between me and one on the men, the one nearest to me -

Him, "You have a bad wheel, yes?"
Me, "Yes"
Him, "We can help"
Me, "No thanks, I can do it, it is ok"
"But it is dangerous. The trucks."
"Yes it is but I'm fine"
"It is dangerous for the girl. The trucks might hit the car. We can take her with us."
Me - "The girl stays"
Him, "Not safe. We can help and take her"
Me, after moving the wheel brace from one hand to the other, "The girl stays"
"OK, Ok, we go"
"Yes, we are fine. You go"

They went.
My daughter told me afterwards that the man had tried the car door as he'd slipped past.

I then spent a very wet quarter of an hour changing the wheel only to be met, as I got back into the car, with thunder, lightning and torrential hail.
To top it all, the hotel I'd booked for the night was still being built it appears, so I had to go elsewhere.

[Deleted]

Oh wow, that is really scary.

My only problem on a Spanish motorway was having my card charged twice by an automatic toll lane, but that took just two days to clear up. Not at all in the same category of problems...

[htmb]

Mark. Certainly all your training and years of experience paid off. What a scary situation.
I'm sorry to hear of all your troubles, but it's great you and your daughter are safe due to your quick thinking.
Those idiots picked the wrong car!

Could you tell what might have damaged your tire?

[Deleted]

Phew,, scary indeed Mark.
I'm so glad you and your daughter are safe and that you had your wits about you throughout. Two of them and one of you, it could have got real ugly.
Stay safe.

[onlyMark]

I had to stop later and buy another tyre and took the opportunity to look at it, but I've no idea what might have caused it.

[bjd]

Mark, I hate to say it but that is not a new problem. There was a gang working the freeway stops along the southern French coast near Perpignan some years ago but they were caught eventually. I have also heard of this in Spain, but rather people being robbed at freeway rest areas than having their tires shot out.

We have some older neighbours who are Pieds Noirs (i;e. they lived in Algeria until 1962). Some years ago when they were already in their 60s, they were driving to Algeria/Morocco through Spain. Somewhere in southern Spain, they stopped at a rest area, people came up to tell them there was a problem at the back of the car. He got out and while he and his wife were held back, they were robbed. They turned back to France without continuing their holiday.

Anyway, glad you were able to face them down -- they prey on the weak, so obviously you are not one.

[onlyMark]

I've read of these things for a number of years, it pops up occasionally, but as I said, I never though much about it until the time. There are mentions from the last few years of the 'shooting out of the tyres' thing which seems a new tactic. I'm not sure how they do it though and then why, if you stop, they don't just threaten you with the gun to rob you instead of trying for a deception technique.
I'm down at the house now anyway so life goes on.

[Deleted]

Glad you made it and am looking forward to seeing pics of the progress made since your last visit.

[bjd]

Mar 5, 2015 15:06:39 GMT onlyMark said:

I've read of these things for a number of years, it pops up occasionally, but as I said, I never though much about it until the time. There are mentions from the last few years of the 'shooting out of the tyres' thing which seems a new tactic. I'm not sure how they do it though and then why, if you stop, they don't just threaten you with the gun to rob you instead of trying for a deception technique.
I'm down at the house now anyway so life goes on.

I guess that if they are caught, robbery through deception may carry lower penalties than armed robbery.

[Deleted]

I also suspect they're trying to work more with intimidation and shock and less with out-and-out violence. At the side of a busy morotway they're less likely to use weapons to get what they want; I'm just glad you had your wits intact and used steely resolve to send them on their way. Really, they thought you'd hand your daughter over - unbelievable!

Sounds a bit like 18th century highwaymen if you think about it.

[Deleted]

The principal tactic used in France (but I would imagine that it is the same in most countries) is the minor accident caused by somebody bumping into you from behind. When you get out of the car to look for damage, you are done for.

[Deleted]

This kind of shocks me or else I'm incredibly naïve (the more likely), but, one doesn't here of such incidents such as these here in the U.S.
Maybe because here they just point and shoot and don't bother with all the intricacies like the ones mentioned here.

[onlyMark]

casi, there has been no progress at the house. That's one thing I'm a bit miffed about. They were supposed to finish off my workshop but haven't yet done so. That will now have a knock on effect to other things. It's always better when I'm watching over them as they make mistakes, for example, they have started off finishing the workshop but as I turn up today I see that they've put the wrong plaster on the walls and started putting the lights on but at the wrong (and impractical) height - even though before I left last year I marked where the lights should be and specified the plaster.
Life goes on though and now I am in attendance I'm hoping things will smooth out, especially as I want the whole project finishing before the middle of summer.

[bjd]

Ah, if you are just "a bit miffed", then that's okay. You aren't holding that tire iron any more are you?

[onlyMark]

Miffed = the English being rather angry but too polite and understated to say so. No?
The tyre iron is awaiting further use and handily placed just inside the tailgate of the car. I doubt it will be needed again (touch wood).