Spanish motorway robberies on british tourist etc

Too right Tish

We have been in Spain 30 years,  11years with our own villa  and seen many good times. However it's now a BIG problem with day to day things and being constanly on your guard. We sold up this year to get out of the crime ridden Costas

Sad because Spain is  beautiful on the eye, but no longer on the pocket or health etc

I'm tending to agree with Rod.  We have hired many cars in Spain and never had a problem but I would always be cautious just not spend my holiday worrying I might get mugged.  I know of someone who got mugged but he was elderly and in a Uk car which I think maybe makes you an easier target.  He had his passport taken and some money but it could have been worse.  It is terrible that this is happening but I bet 99% of the time its not the Spanish but the morrocans or other nationalities.  Its a sad situation but I don't think it should put anyone off driving to Spain or hiring a car.  If someone could come up with the figures of how many cars drive through Spain and how many hire cars are hired over a 6 or 12 month period it would still be a relatively small proportion of cases.

I was driving through Barcelona on the Autovia two years ago when i heard a loud bang to the rear of my car an Audi A5 came along side of me a passenger in the the car gestured a ball had hit my car so i thought it was un der neath so i carried on next thing i was being forced to the hard shoulder i got to a position where i had no road left immediately i stopped two of them got out of their car walked over to me the driver and dragged me out of the car forced me onto the motorway got me down in the first lane with my head abour a foot from the traffic.They then forced my passengers door open grabbed her bag and ran off back to their car and sped away.I realised later they had throw a stone at my car that must have been the loud bang.The police said luckily around Barcelona most carjacking they dont use a weapon but around other cities they use weapons ie guns,knives etc

Life is all about risk, perceived and otherwise, but this cannot and must not prevent us from us from our experiences.  As a few posters have said, it's about having your wits about you.  And now we know what can happen when driving on the motorways in Spain we can be cautious.  Hubby and I have taken the car and the motorbike on many occasions, and as I say nothing has happened.  This type of activity would not frighten me nor my husband off from visiting Spain.  In any event, if anyone did come across my husband I daresay they would rapidly go the other way as he is a big hairy biker and can take care of himself.  Come to that so can I.  Be alert and keep driving and flip em off I say.  S--t happens in all countries and we must not get into this alarmist attitude that the brits are so good at.  Gawd blimey we better all stay indoors and remain safe hahahahahaha.  I am coming over again on my own in my car, top down wind in my hair and pedal to metal.

You have to be careful, anywhere, I have been driving in europe, for maney years firstly with a caravan, and freinds were in Motor homes, and in France through the late 80s and 90s up too the early 2000s,you  never used rest areas for long stops with no 24hr services, because of gangs of robbers, they gas you as you sleep, we carried a baseball bat for years expecting problems, never a gas mask, anyway, since 2006 I have been driving through france spain back and too, I have used the south rute, but mainly come over to spain through San sabastion.

I'm carful with my belongings, the beeaches of south france are some of the worst for robbery, though I have seen and confronted a man on cabo roig beeach walking round for 30mins, in shorts and a tea towle over his arm.

We had a break in on our estate, they used a crow bar on the wooden front door, but the lad forgot to lock his metal gate!

Properties in our area are around 60% empty all year long, you will get robberies high.

Cars, with bags and other things in them will be brokent into, and other things happen, rife in the UK is set up accidents for insurance claims, 

Be aware of your surroundings, forgot to mention 1081 car stolen in Miami, Nigeria had to have a driver with a gun, My freind in Holpital after a beeach holiday in Brazil, Mexico!! Film MAN ON FIRE!!

Italy pick pocets and don't bother driving in cities, my choice.

germany and Belguim had no problems.

All over the world, the criminals pray on Holiday makers, when we do things that we would never do at home every day.

So it's only in Spain where they have crime. Come on now when we lived in the u.k. we have been robbed three time my wife has had her purse robbed in the U.K. and here in Spain. The low life only exsist in Spain. Me thinks the dail liars have a lot to do with highlighting stories because they have stopped hacking  phones and internet

Dear All,

fair warning is just that and only a fool would ignore it and pretend.

I think that if I ever do it again I will join Foxilady's convoy.

Regards

Norman

Arrived Alicante airport, collected our 2 suitcases, loaded  'em onto the baggage trolley and with our cabin bag on top pushed our way to the car hire desk.

After what seemed an awful long time sorting out paperwork, type of vehicle and regn number we made our way to the parking bay only to find that the car we were allocated was not to be found.

In our desperate attempts to find the "missing" car we momentarily, and I mean momentarily, left our luggage trolly.

By now you're all saying, you silly dickheads!!!  Ok, but we're (wife and I) both over 70, we just landed at a strange airport after a long flight, we've been given duff car information and we're confused because we can't find our car.

Yep, they got the cabin bag, passports, credit cards, driving licences, need I go on..........

The airport police just didn't want to know. Airport information desk (manned by Brits) likewise. 

This sad tale gets worse but that's another story. 

We were part of an airport scam that (I believe) included the people at the car hire desk who gave me a totally ficticious car regn number.  Coincidence?

It's all in the past now but if my tale of woe prevents just one potential victim from being robbed then this message has been worth it.

Oh, we now take our holidays in Brighton. We prefer the seagulls and gaybars to a country so indifferent to crime. 

Wouldn't the airport car park have security cameras?

If you had been carefull with your bags that would never have happened so you were wrong, we always watch every move at all  airports, I wear a special wallet strapped to my skin inside my shirt and have passports,cash, etc.there are thugs always waiting for someone to make a mistake and take advantage...... staying in England or Ireland is a waste of time with the climate, go back to paradise and be more carefull...... 

Hi Javelin

Sorry to hear about your robbery at Alicante airport  Don't hate yourself because you're one of the 1000 plus who have been victims of the same SCAM experience, this last year, at Alicante and Barcelona airport.

On my MANY visits to Spain ( 6 times a year for 10 years) I have witnessed so many scams and bag snatches etc.

You are right NOBODY inc THE POLICE  want to know about it !! 

Javelin.  

                    Quote,     we momentarily, and I mean momentarily, left our luggage trolly.

I am over 70 too but , so far I have never lost my cases etc.  But then I do not leave my things lying around and then blame the police and everyone else my my carelessness. 

As you said, "you silly dickheads!!!

ouch!

A moment is to long..... they are waiting for that second to take advantage it's a pity it happened you miss out on all the superb weather in Spain, you should move on it's water under the bridge, Brighton is a beautifull place but the weather is the big problem.... go on book a flight to paradise......

Oh dear,

what wonderful sympathetic people!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what next - shouldn't you be safely tucked up in the old folks home - did you escape?

what about euthanasia???????

it seems to me that the ex-pats in Spain don't have much to learn from the dregs of this society

Sad lot

Regards

Norman

I leave my car unlocked; and my front door most of the time.  One of my guests left her handbag in the park and when she got to the police station all flustered they gave her a cup of tea before giving her back her bag which had already been handed in and I ask strangers to take my picture by the sea on my camera without worrying they'll run off with it. Kids are polite on the buses which are regular and easy to use if I want to leave my car and have a drink.  And on that drink there is no extortionate vat and there is a superb selection of restaurants. I live in Guernsey. 

I have to go into "I'm away, be careful" mode when travelling but the only trouble I have had in Spain is with a dodgy car hire company out of Malaga Airport (easily made up for by the lovely car hire people at San Pedro (who also told me their boss had just been viciously mugged and to be careful!). Oh and a lousy taxi driver who sped off without giving me change from a 50€ .

I have friends who have been robbed in Spain including one at gunpoint in his villa so I am aware that it has a very high crime rate compared to say the Yorkshire Dales or Hastings but if I have been lucky with my lacksadaisical attitude, spoiled by the near zero crime rate of Guernsey  then I must conclude that the victims of crime as a percentage would still be small.  My advice, never carry your passport and credit cards together, never carry passports once you've reached your destination and why not just budget properly and carry enough cash for each day, split between the pair of you if you are a couple.  if you get car jacked and your passport is safely under the carpet then they won't be hanging around too long to find it.  If you're still nervous then just go to Guernsey for your holidays!

ANYWHERE is better than being in southern Eire, weather is atrocious especially in the west,  so almost anywhere else would be considered paradise hahahahahahahahaha

Southern Ireland is OK for the wealthy holiday maker