Basic Safety Tips!

If 2020 and the beginning of 2021 have taught us nothing else, it’s that “it can happen to me.” From riots and robberies to looting and election violence, the unfortunate fact is that many good people simply going about their day can be caught up in dangerous situations. While nobody can plan for everything, there are some personal safety basics, simple plans and relatively minor lifestyle alterations that can help the average person avoid trouble, which should always be the goal, and if trouble finds them anyway, better and more successfully respond to it for as positive an outcome as possible.

1-Be Aware of Your Surroundings!

The modern age is more packed with distractions than ever! Many people spend their entire workday staring at a screen, then spend their down-time with a phone up to their face doing everything from browsing social media to streaming TV shows! Take a moment to look around you – see how many people are walking around, or even DRIVING while looking at their phones with little to no idea of what’s going on around them? If this is you, this level of distraction is a setup for a bad day. At best, you may walk into a doorjamb or street sign or trip over something you didn’t see, and at worst, you make an excellent target for a purse snatching, robbery, cellphone theft, or much, much worse. The easiest target is one that has no idea it’s a target, so don’t let this be you! Personal safety begins with knowing what’s happening around you, as this will at least give you the chance to avoid dangerous situations, so put your phone down when you’re in public. As tempting as it is to take a quick look, answer a text or look at funny cat videos on social media, if you’re paying more attention to that than you are your surroundings as you move through the world, you are leaving yourself vulnerable to accidents and worse. Personal safety begins with YOU.

2- Park Safe!

Parking where it’s convenient might make a walk shorter, but again, consider your surroundings when you pull up, because when you leave that place, you’ll have to walk back to your car. Park in well-lighted areas, under a streetlight or a light in a parking lot, and if possible, don’t park up close and personal next to large vehicles like vans or large trucks, so you can better see if anyone is lurking around your car as you approach it. Lock your car when you leave, of course, to prevent theft or finding someone in your car with you when you hop in, and don’t have your hands and arms so full of bags, boxes or other items that you can’t defend yourself or have your keys in your hand as you approach your car. As you walk back to your car, have your keys and key fob in your hand already, rather than fumbling for it in the dark next to the door. In a messy situation, the keys can even be used to poke and stab at an attacker attempting to lay hands on you. At night or in the dark, or in an unfamiliar area, if you carry a personal device such as mace, a stun gun, pepper spray or something a little more serious, it’s not a bad idea to have your hand on it as you approach your vehicle, so you’re not frantically fumbling for it in a frightening situation where every second counts.

3- Don't Look for Trouble!

If you’re out there looking for trouble you can’t be surprised or upset when you find it. What does this mean? Do you drive aggressively? Tailgate other cars, weave in and out of traffic, flash your lights and cut people off? Road rage incidents are on the rise, and while you can’t always avoid being a victim, a great way to start is to try not to be the instigator. Drive defensively! Speaking of cars, what do all those stickers on the back of yours say about you? Lots of political stuff that someone may disagree with enough to be waiting for you in the grocery store parking lot if they decide to be offended? Or how about that “Protected by Glock” sticker or that SIG sticker, that might as well say “break my window and look under the seat for a free gun.” Many states in the US allow the concealed carry of firearms and some are even “Open Carry” states, where it’s perfectly legal to carry a firearm in plain view on your person. While this may, then, be your right and perfectly legal, in a time where crime and politically-motivated attacks are on the rise, why carry your firearm in plain view where some may be tempted to challenge you over it verbally or physically, or even try and take it from you? Exercise your rights, but part of personal safety means being smart about the situations your choices may put you in.

4- Think About Social Media Use

People live on social media these days! From Facebook and Instagram to TikTok, people are sharing more about their lives than ever, and for the wrong eyes this can be a gold mine of information. All those vacation pics are great – but now everyone knows your home is empty. Do you tag yourself and check into places on social media while you’re out and about? It’s much easier to follow someone who literally tells the word where they are and when! Many modern social media apps even know where you are most, if not all the time, and can track your data use even when you’re not using them! Consider diving into the back end of your social media apps and disabling features that literally give away your private business. Be conscious of the information you share on social media, from images of the cars you drive and property you own to discussions about places you frequent and anything else you wouldn’t feel comfortable for a person up to no good knowing about you! Because you’re literally feeding them the information if they care to click on it. Social media can cause personal safety to get lost in the fun and fear of missing out!

5- Check off the Obvious Stuff

In the rush and long hours and constant bombardment of information everyone deals with in their daily lives, sometimes it’s easy to forget the small, common sense items that, while they may seem trivial, might protect you and you’ll never know it. Lock your car doors. Yes, even at home in the driveway. Don’t leave valuables out on the seat. That cupholder full of change? It might not be much to you – but to someone on the street, they may decide they need it more than you. Keep your doors and windows locked at home – yes even the upstairs ones. Get a bar to lock your sliding glass doors. You’re not that guy in the neighborhood that puts the 75-inch TV box out with the trash, so everyone knows he just got it, are you? Surely you shred all that personal and private info that comes in the mail too, right? And what about your body? What kind of shape are you in? If you had to run from an active shooter situation, take the stairs to get out of an office fire, or you got cornered in a dark stairwell, are you in any kind of shape to protect yourself or make an escape?

There is no magic force-field or shield that will keep you and your loved ones safe from every situation. But the truth is, danger is out there, and it’s more real than ever. What can you do? You can start with doing your part. Consider personal safety as part of your daily life. Take a moment to consider the ramifications of the things you do each day, and you may surprise yourself. Do the simple, basic things to protect yourself, your home and your family, and you’ll be able to breathe a little easier as you watch the evening news or scroll through articles on your phone. Be safe!