The recent experience of an American affiliated with the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka is a good reminder to keep your car doors locked when driving here, or anywhere in the world where street crime and car-jacking is rampant. At about noon he was waiting at a red light when someone opened the door and tried to drag him out. At the same time an accomplice opened the passenger door and grabbed a money belt on the floor filled with cash, passport and other valuables. Had the victim kept the doors locked and windows up he would have been a harder target and may not have been assaulted. If driving in a city where this kind of crime is common, keep windows closed and doors locked, scan both sides and check the rear-view mirror constantly, and leave yourself an escape route around the car in front of you. If you can see the car’s rear wheels touching the road you should have enough room to drive around it but not enough to allow another car to pull in and block you.
