10 Safety Tips for Women to Keep in Mind for the Holiday Season
10 Safety Tips for Women to Keep in Mind for the Holiday Season
Every year during the holiday season the news is flooded with reports of crimes against women. With the current economic issues and the number of people unemployed we are sure to see an increase in statistics. Since we are constantly reminded to not pick up strangers and when shopping to keep packages hidden, I thought I would pass
along some tips I found that may be useful if you are in a situation and you feel threatened (number ten is my favorite).
Also, keep in mind the old proverb: “Better to be a thousand times careful than once dead”.
1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!
2. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, Do not hand it to him. Instead, toss it away from you then run in the opposite direction. Chances are that robber is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you.
3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights, stick your arm out the hole and start waving your hand like crazy. The driver won’t see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their check book, talking on the phone, or making a list, etc. If a predator is watching then this is the perfect opportunity to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. As soon as you get into your car, lock your doors and leave.
5. If someone enters your car and threatens your life then gun the engine and run the car into an immobile object like a wall or tree. Your air bag will hopefully protect you and the person in the back seat will be dazed and injured. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.
6. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
o Be aware. Look around you; look into your car at the passenger side floor and in the back seat.
o If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most attackers and abductors capture their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
o Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. It is always better to be safe than sorry and paranoid than dead.
7. Always take the elevator instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at night.
8. If a predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. Run preferably in a zigzag pattern.
9. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked ‘for help’ into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
10. If you are walking alone in the dark (which you shouldn’t be) and you find someone following/chasing you: Run and scream “FIRE!” not “help”. People don’t want to get involved when people yell “help” but “fire” draws attention.
For more information visit the University of Baltimore’s Holiday Safety Tips at http://www.ubalt.edu/template.cfm?page=2301