If you happen to find yourself in the midst of a strike behind the wheel, this is what you should do

Planned protests or march's is nothing new in South Africa. It is where unions have received the necessary permission to meet and assemble at a specified time and place. These types of protests are carefully controlled by local law enforcement.

Then you get those where businesses, communities are directly affected by things like rising fuel prices, cost of living etc and things can get out of hand. This is what is currently happening in the country where hordes of protesters are arming themselves and damaging property in a bid to 'bring their message across'.

Even though national strikes or shutdowns is not a regular occurrence, local motorists should be prepared for a just-in-case scenario where things can get out of hand and know the correct action to apply at that time.

Gumtree lists some essential tips for motorists to protect themselves should they find themselves in or around a large protesting group:

• You have to remember that you will most likely be vastly outnumbered by the hoards of protesters. Be on the lookout for people gathering at the side of the road or on bridges.
• A vehicle is usually the safest place to be but if things take a turn for the worst (physical damage, petrol bombing), you need to be prepared to get out of your vehicle and seek safety with authorities.
• The worst possible thing you can do is engage with protestors (negatively) as this will only incite conflict and possible breakout of violence. Rather wait for to authorities arrive on the scene.
• If you are forced to stop or slow down because of a protest, be careful not to block yourself in. Leave room between yourself and the car ahead of you and identify an escape route where possible.
• If you know protest action is taking place on a specific road or route (which can be heard from radio reports), rather come home late and use a different route.

Now that you’ve got the knowledge, it’s time to shop! Head to gumtree.co.za or your Gumtree app (click for Apple & Android) and don’t forget to use your location settings to find local service information close to home.