You step out of your home and rush down the alley where you have parked your car, hoping you would make it on time to the office for the impromptu meeting that had just been brought to your notice, only to find out that the tires of your car have been punctured by nails. To make matters worse, it isn’t the first time something like that has happened to you.
Naturally, frustration will build up, and you can’t help but ask, “Why me?” “Who is doing this to me?” “What have I done to deserve such unfairness?”
Some people even go as far as thinking that it is the universe sabotaging them, whereas, it could be someone with a petty grudge or skirmish hoping to get back at them for the hurt you might have caused them.
Some people simply do it for the fun and ‘thrill’ of it. Some think of it as an adventure, and some others puncture tires out of bitterness, possibly because they can’t afford a car, and they think, “Why should this person own a car and enjoy his car when I don’t have one, and I am even better than him!”
After investigations, it was discovered that people puncture the car tires of people they know personally. The question then again is, why do people do these things? And how can you catch someone putting nails on, and puncturing your car tires? To get your answers, continue reading.
Why Would Someone Put Nails in my Tires?
It has been discovered that the leading reason why people put nails in other people’s tires is the same reason why someone might burst the window glasses of other people’s homes, or break the windows of cars, which is to get revenge against such a person, or to protest, or to express their grievances.
They believe that the only way to do that is by hurting the victim, knowing that since they can’t go near the victim for several reasons, they might as well hurt them from afar. Some even puncture tires just for the thrill of it.
To Get Revenge
You might have hurt someone in the neighborhood, knowingly or unintentionally, and they feel like they can’t get justice properly or legally for what you might have done to them, or what hurts them isn’t even enough to take legal steps for, and they are too timid to approach you, or they simply believe they can’t approach you due to societal class segregation; perhaps you are more powerful than them, or they just don’t want to approach you, and so they think that the best way to move on is to hurt you back from afar.
They notice that they can easily access your car in the driveway, and then they put nails in your tires. Some even go ahead to do worse, like breaking your car windows, if no one is watching.
To Protest
Many people do it to protest as well. They put nails in your car probably to go against what you have done in the community. This commonly happens to public figures or public officeholders who are responsible for the workings of the community, making rules that affect everyday citizens.
When these officers pass a law or make a rule in the society that the citizens aren’t okay with, some might react violently, protesting, vandalizing properties of the public officeholder, which will invariably include puncturing his car tires.
For the Thrill
Not everybody in society can be good, and decent. People think differently. People’s idea of fun is different from each other’s.
Some of our world’s infamous thieves who have carried out some of the biggest heists in history, when they were interviewed said they did it ‘simply for the thrill of not getting caught, that it made them feel a lot more alive, not minding whether they were hurting other people.
In the same way, some people do terrible things like break car windows, throw rocks at glass doors and windows of houses, puncture car tires with nails, etc. just for the fun of it and the ‘thrill of not getting caught.’
How to Catch Someone Putting Nails in Your Tires
There are ways to either prevent people from putting nails in your tires completely or at least catch whoever it is, putting nails in your tires. Some of the easiest ways are;
1. Involve the Police
If the situation is getting out of hand, that is, if your tires have been punctured repeatedly, it is best to involve the police and leave it to them to handle the situation.
However, you have to provide proof to the police before they can take any action. Most times, the police will respond by patrolling the area and keeping watch more than usual.
2. Use the Camera of Your Car
This might not help scare away the culprit, but it sure helps you learn his or her identity. The culprit won’t even have an idea that you have activated or installed a car camera.
The camera will act as live CCTV live footage to record motions around the car, or simply capture any person within the set range. This will help you catch whoever is putting nails in your tires.
3. Parking Your Car in Open Areas
Your car can easily get vandalized, stolen, destroyed and tires punctured if you park in closed areas or alleys that people don’t pass often.
If your car is parked in open areas, for example, in open parking lots, or designated sidewalks by major street roads where people always commute, the perpetrators of this act will be more cautious of putting nails in your car because they know they might get caught.
4. Install a Motion-Detector or Alarm
This helps a lot to curb people vandalizing your car tires. Motion detectors help your car become aware whenever someone comes too close to it when you are not in the area, and then it activates an alarm that either work on your phone, alerting you that someone is romanticizing your car, or through the speakers of your car, alerting everyone in the area that there’s an unauthorized presence trying to access a vehicle or both.
This either scares away the perpetrator or helps you catch whoever it is on time before he or she runs off.
5. Help from Neighbours
You can also seek the help of your neighbors. Explain the situation to them and ask them to help you watch over, or keep out an eye for passers-by who might be likely perpetrators of the deed.
This will put everyone in the neighborhood at alert, and it will be favorable, as four or more pairs of eyes are better than only two pairs. Also, if the culprit happens to be a member of the neighborhood, or one of your neighbors, knowing that everyone now has eyes on the car, such a person will be dissuaded from committing the crime.
Remember, you have to tell if someone put the nail on your tire or you just happened to be unlucky to drive through nails.
What to Do When You Catch Someone Putting Nails in Your Tires
Confront Them
This is the most civil way to respond when you catch someone putting nails in your tires. Confront them and ask what the matter is, whether they have any issue with you and they are taking it out on the tires because they cannot tell you about it.
If you are dealing with a reasonable person, you two would work out your issues, find a solution and move on from the problem.
Report Them to Respected People in the Neighbourhood
If they are young people, perhaps children or teenagers, and you don’t think confronting them is best, or your confrontation has fallen on deaf ears, you should speak to their parents, or if it’s a neighbor, speak to the representatives in your neighborhood if you both can’t work out your issues through a confrontation.
Report Them to the Police
If you have reasons to believe that the first two options wouldn’t work, neighbor or not, you should report them to the police.
With enough proof, they will be arrested for vandalism and the destruction of properties. They might be asked to pay a fine, put on probation, or charged to court if they are repeat offenders.
Final Thoughts
While driving your tires can also get punctured by nails lying around on the floor, so before you decide to try and catch a ‘culprit’, ensure that there is a culprit and it is not just you who is driving recklessly and getting your car tires punctured by nails and broken bottles.
Also, it helps to be a good neighbor and be at peace with your neighbors. That way, you will have everyone looking out for you, instead of trying to sabotage you.