Introduction

You do not want your driveway to look like this. Having a driveway flanked by beautiful trees looks picturesque, but it is terrible for physical security. The driveway approaching your home should provide you with advantages, not disadvantages. I'll explain how to do that below.

Key Concepts

A driveway should begin at a perimeter gate. The gate should be secured when not in use, and it should be made of sturdy material. I recommend that people install a "cattle guard" behind it too. The gate should be the only way to get a vehicle into your property as well. No one should be able to drive around the gate. It doesn't matter if they have a tank or not. If you plan your perimeter properly, no vehicle can cross without going through the gate.

Above is an example of a cattle guard. Install two in a row, and make their foundation concrete. Put them on a proper rolling system, and make it so you can remove them quickly and without much effort. The combination of a gate and cattle guards makes the beginning of your driveway extremely secure. Leave the cattle guards in unless things get really bad. The cattle guards come out when your barbed or razor wire goes up. You have a chain link or other perimeter fence, correct?

In addition to having a gate with cattle guards, your drive should also include multiple turns as it approaches your home. You do not want to allow a vehicle to pick up speed as it approaches. The drive should also have barriers such as dirt berms, a sufficient incline, thin trees, or bollards added to it along the way to prevent a vehicle from skipping the turns and driving straight towards your home. You do not want those objects to act as cover however, so choose them wisely.

The curve to this driveway is much safer, and the small trees in the front yard block vehicles but do not block observation or fire. I'm talking about rifle fire, not Smokey the Bear fire, here folks. If it is a serious threat, you want to be able to fire upon it as it approaches. The imagine also depicts a good example of how the home should look down on the drive and have a good vantage point over it as vehicles approach. You want a driveway that allows you to easily watch vehicles as they come along it.

Here is an example of residential bollards in use:

There are countless sensor systems to consider too. Magnetic ones are buried in the ground next to the driveway, and they will send an alert to you inside the home when a vehicle is detected. Pair the magnetic ones with cameras and motion sensors. You can also add beam lasers. No one should drive down your driveway without you being notified as it happens. If the gate was closed, they shouldn't be approaching anyway, correct? You did close the gate, right?

Concluding Thoughts

The space between your perimeter fence and the outside of your home should not be neglected when it comes to residential security. It should be well covered with lights and cameras. You should also construct or modify it in ways that provide you with advantages over people who are not welcome on your property.

Do not use straight driveways, place barriers along your curved drive that stop vehicles but also do not give cover, and do all of this in a way that does not take away from the beauty of your home. It can be done. If you have any questions about this topic, please feel free to ask below. I'm here to help!

If you've found this information to be valuable, please up vote the post. If you want to learn more about residential security, please follow me. This post is one of thousands to come. There is so much material to share, and I look forward to sharing it!