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Fast food drive thru

2K views 19 replies 19 participants last post by  TechGuy 
#1 ·
Okso I have been thinking about this alot lately and wanted to pose it here to find out what other folks do.

I have been noticing that when I go through a drive thru lately find myself leaving much more space betweenmy car and the car infront of me than I need to. I started to do this after thinking about what I would do if a car pulled up in a position to block me from leaving. Now for me there is very little "danger" I have no known enemys in the area and the area is generally safe. But my normal run to the fast food joints is between midnight and 1 am most nights. I find my situational awareness tobe very high and I ALWAYS leave myself a way out.

Do others do this as well or am I just being paranoid?

Oh I am without a firearm since I am at college and can not have one here.
 
#2 ·
One of the things I was taught in training is not to pull up closer than where you see the vehicle's tires meet the road. That should give you more escape room.
 
#5 ·
I have been noticing that when I go through a drive thru lately find myself leaving much more space betweenmy car and the car infront of me than I need to. I started to do this after thinking about what I would do if a car pulled up in a position to block me from leaving.
Leaving some space between your car and the previous vehicle is definitely a good idea in case anything should happen. Unfortunately, many drive thrus are constructed so that once you order, you can't get out of line. Often these are just curbs, which you could drive over in an emergency (my life is worth more than my car's undercarriage). Sometimes, however, they are more substantial barriers, like walls or a row of parked cars. In these situations, leaving space is not necessarily going to allow you to get out of there.

Oh I am without a firearm since I am at college and can not have one here.
Well, in the drive-thru situation, at lest, you have a far more powerful and deadly weapon than a handgun at your command. You just have to activate it using the accelerator rather than your trigger finger.
 
#6 ·
I leave a lot of room at all times - in lines, RR's, in traffic too. Tends to irritate tailgaters, but at lights it's important, IMHO.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Now for me there is very little "danger" I have no known enemys [sic] in the area and the area is generally safe.
Implying only those with known enemies are at risk? Bad mistake! Given that crimes of opportunity occur all the time, and many of those to the average Joe who isn't thinking he's being targeted. Do not ever be lulled into believing you're safe simply 'cause you are in a "good" area, or are "doing nothing wrong." If something goes down, you'll get snapped in a crack fairly quickly, that way. Be prepared ... always. Always.

It's that brief period during which the average Joe traditionally relaxes and lets his guard down that presents the "best" opportunity for a strike. Simplest defense: don't do that. Assume anyone within 30yds might ultimately present a threat, and consider the plan for dealing with it. Should it work out that way, deal with it rapidly and decisively. Screwing around at this point can get you stuck.

... thinking about what I would do if a car pulled up in a position to block me from leaving.
When in a publicly-accessible and -visible area for drive-through service [ie restaurant, bank ATM, or even just hanging in traffic], I try very hard to do the following:
  • Avoid putting the car in neutral/park; windows are up (tinted) and doors are locked.
  • Leave as much space between me and the car ahead as I'm able.
  • Continuously scan for changing risk factors, including inbound pedestrians, cars.
  • Wear darker glasses (sunglasses, wrap-around if possible), to mask the fact that I'm incredibly aware of what's going on around me.
  • Realize that I'm in a 3600-lb AWD battering ram, if need be. A single car may or may not present a danger, as you can go the other way. Two cars working in concert present an immediate and deadly threat ... so, treat it as such by immediately leveraging the hunk of metal you're sitting in, costs be damned. Just get out of there.

With practice, this sort of heightened awareness becomes a part of you. It's only stressful for the first few months you switch into this gear; after that, it's simple to maintain.

Note: I have withstood two attempted car jackings in this manner. One, I saw coming. The other happened so quickly and was attempted by multiple BG's such that I wouldn't have had a chance to defend ... had my windows/doors not been locked. I simply drove away, quickly. No worse for the wear. A third instance was on a crowded two-lane road that had just popped out of the hills and approached a stop light. A driver in a car 50ft ahead of me was exceedingly agitated at having been stuck behind me for so long. I thought he would explode at any moment, exiting the car and rampaging in my direction. Had he done that, I had made sure to have plenty of space around my car, such that it could be used to defend if need be. Had he been jacked up on another gram of whatever he was popping, that likely would have happened.

There are tactical/defensive driving courses available, should you desire to get some skills in this area.
 
#13 ·
Implying only those with known enemies are at risk? Bad mistake! Given that crimes of opportunity occur all the time, and many of those to the average Joe who isn't thinking he's being targeted. Do not ever be lulled into believing you're safe simply 'cause you are in a "good" area, or are "doing nothing wrong." If something goes down, you'll get snapped in a crack fairly quickly, that way. Be prepared ... always. Always.
I was not meaning to imply that nothing will happen since it is a 'good area" and i dont have known enemys. More so just as background that I do not know myself to be targeted in any way.

I had thought about the fact that I am in a huge battering ram and would have no problem using it if needed.

Thanks for the real world advise, I am always willing to learn.
 
#8 ·
I think it's sensible to at least leave space in front of the car in case you had to escape by driving away. Here in Orlando we've had a recent rash of armed robberies and the like (some targeting people who were shooting at the range - different thread), so even though it POs people around me, I do it anyway. 9999 times or more out of 10,000 it won't matter, but it will matter GREATLY if someone actually does try to rob or assault you. From what I've read on this and similar forums, if someone is trying to attack you in this situation, you need to GET AWAY first. If the other guy has a firearm, distance will be your protection, normal automobiles offer about zero protection from bullets. http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/thebuickotruth.htm

This used to irritate my wife and her friends, who would make snide remarks like "what are you afraid of, trunk bombs"? Let 'em laugh at my paronoia if they wish, I look at it as a sensible precaution to take along the same lines as wearing a seat belt or having a home burgular alarm.
 
#10 ·
Now I see another danger of reading this forum; it makes you think.

I have always done the opposite at drive throughs. I have pulled as close as possible to the window in order to close up any room a bad guy would have to get to the drivers side window.

I have, however, been leaving room between me and the car in front.

I felt that someone blocking me in from the side wouldn't be a big problem because they would be in very good position to be shot through my passenger side window.

But I guess if they have superior firepower and I am blocked in, I could be toast.

Maybe I'll have to ponder this a little.
 
#12 ·
I Do Think About An 'Exit'...

when in traffic. At a light, I do try to keep back far enough to see the tires on the car in front. My wife and I both do this. In fact, if one of us should have a memory lapse, the other will ask..."Can you see the tires?"

Good Habit!

ret
 
#16 ·
i have always Left more than enough room to be able to pull out. if not for safety, then because the line doesn't move and i don't want to wait for the food. unfortunately a lot of fast food places now have a curb on both sides of your car so you can't mess up their system of having the meals always in the same order that the cars are lined up. i rarely use the drive thru for all the reasons listed above and it's almost always faster to just go inside anyway.
 
#19 ·
Drive-thru, at a stoplight, wherever... I always leave enough room so that I can crank the wheel and get around without having to backup. Really, this is just common sense. That way if the guy in front of you, for whatever reason, doesn't go you aren't trapped. And it's not like you have to leave loads of wasted space to do this. Just a couple of feet, rather than pulling up within inches of the next guy's bumper. That's all.
 
#20 ·
Do others do this as well or am I just being paranoid?
Remember the paranoids cry: Just cuz you are paranoid doen't mean they are NOT out to get you! :buttkick:

BTW, I stop while I can still see tires too. I have been hit from behind while stopped 4 times now. Saved me from more damage when pushed into cars in front.
 
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