Safety slides · 12 May 2026
Moped phone-snatch safety
Kerbside grabs from mopeds and e-bikes, and how to stand so you are not the easy one.
What actually happens
A rider and a pillion passenger work as a pair. They ride slowly along a busy pavement edge looking for a phone held out at arm’s length, then close the distance in a couple of seconds and take it at speed from the kerb side.
The moment it turns
The grab happens as the bike draws level with you. You will hear the engine change note a moment before, which is the only warning you get, and by then the decision that matters is whether your hand is between the phone and the road.
If it happens to you
Let go. A phone pulled from a moving bike will take your arm, your shoulder or you with it, and people have been dragged into the road this way. Once they are gone, get somewhere safe, then report it: 999 if it has just happened and the rider is still nearby, 101 or the online report afterwards. Block the SIM with your network and freeze your bank cards.
Phone just stolen? Emergency stepsHabits that lower the odds
- Walk on the building side of the pavement, not the kerb side, and put the phone in the hand furthest from the road.
- Stop and stand still against a wall or in a doorway to read a message rather than walking with the phone out.
- Take one earbud out in traffic. A bike closing on you is something you hear before you see.
- Record your IMEI now, while you still have the phone: dial *#06# and save the number somewhere that is not on the phone.