Ten safety tips
It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in. In daylight hours, refresh yourself of these 10 crucial safety tips that will help you in an emergency situation. The tips were written by personal safety adviser Pat Malone and have been shared via email by millions of people. It is worth repeating:
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. Learned this from a tourist guide:
If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you. Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. Then RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole & start waving 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 checkbook, or making a list, etc.) DO NOT DO THIS! The predator may be watching you and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS S SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead run the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having your body found in a remote location.
5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
a) Be Aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat;
b) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their female victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
c) Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle and on 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.
6. 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!
7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN, preferably in a zig-zag pattern! 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.
8. Women always try to be sympathetic: STOP! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, 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.
9. The Crying Baby:
Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her “Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.” The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, “We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.” He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby’s cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes, thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby’s cries outside their doors when they’re home alone at night.
10. The Water Scam!
If you wake up in the middle of the night to hear all your taps outside running, or what you think is a burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your outside taps full bore so that you will go out to investigate and then they attack.
Stay alert, keep safe, and look out for your neighbors!
* snopes.com points out that the knee actually is the strongest point on your body and make more recommendations on how to respond to attacks.
** snopes also points out that back lights in modern motorcars are not easily reachable through the trunk, suggesting that one should try to kick the back seat open since those usually fold down to accommodate large items.
Please take a moment to read the updated snopes safety article.
The original article was written in 2001 by Pat Malone and has been updated regularly. Visit Pat Malone’s Personal Safety page on Facebook where he gives valuable advice.
Also see US Gov: Personal security – At Home, On The Street, While Traveling