By Alan on Feb 05 in Blog tagged awareness, car seat, crying baby, do not drive off, do not open door, elevator, life saving tips, lock the doors, loved ones, parking car, parking garage, protection, robber, run in zig zag pattern, safety, save your life, shopping, water scam | 1 Comment

Life Saving Tips…Personal Protection, Safety, Awareness

A good friend of mine sent an email to me, which included the tips below, and asked if I could write something up for his blog (www.thefamily.com ), so I decided that my readers needed it as well.  I am not sure of the source of these tips, except at the bottom of the page there was a name. I included the name at the end to make sure that if, indeed that was the author, they would get the appropriate credit. I do not know the validity of some of these tips…but they seem like great ideas, so I decided to leave them in.  Some of the tips have been altered for grammar, editing etc, and I have added other information as well.

Tips to help save your life and the lives of your loved ones:

1. The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, then use it!

2. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, don’t HAND it to them; toss it AWAY from you…Chances are that they are more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and they will go for the wallet/purse.  Run in the other direction.  This may also give you the time needed to draw an emergency tool for your protection.

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out, or rip out, the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and 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 there doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON’T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for them 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 THE DOORS AND LEAVE..
If someone is already in the car and puts a gun to your head, DO NOT DRIVE OFF, Repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun 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 them find your body 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 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 the passenger side.. If a person 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 better paranoid than dead.)

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, get away if you can.  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 zig -zag pattern! Better yet, get trained in self defense techniques and also get trained in firearms familiarity.

8. As women, we are always trying 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. Another Safety Point: 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.   Another addition to such criminal techniques, is to leave a baby car seat or baby carrier on the side of the road and when a concerned citizen stops to investigate…they are kidnapped or car jacked or something else.  Be aware!

10. 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 blast so that you will go out to investigate and then attack.

According to the email I was sent, the “crying baby” tactic, was mentioned on America’s Most Wanted, when they profiled a serial killer in Louisianna.  I have not verified that claim… but it sure does sound like something a criminal would do.

SO…remember that there are criminals out there who can be innovative in what they do.  Being aware of your surroundings is the FIRST thing you can do to combat crime and have a safer life.  Keep your head up, keep your eyes open, create a routine of looking and taking notes of what you are doing and why you are doing it.  Parking your car way out in the boonies, next to that tree, just to get a little more shade on your vehicle can be great, but that can also be an ambush waiting to happen…especailly at night!

Be Safe, Be Aware, and Check Your Six Often!

Teresa Flinchbaugh (assumed author of the emailed 10 safety tips)

Damon Thueson
For The Family

www.defenseactions.com