The A1 freeway runs from Paris to Lille (and passes by the CDG airport). Sometimes congestion brings traffic to a standstill.

That’s when the highwaymen strike. They operate in pairs: one breaks a window, usually the passenger window; the other grabs whatever is sitting on the passenger seat. The highwaymen favor cars driven by single women, who often leave a bag on the passenger seat.

In February, bandits attacked a vehicle carrying the daughter of the mayor of Kiev. They took off with a bag allegedly containing 4.5 million euros worth of jewelry.

Many victims are too stunned even to realize what is happening until the theft is over. Being stuck in traffic limits what a motorist can do. A few, however, have run after the robbers, pursuing them into nearby woods.