Approaching, Entering and Exiting Your Car

The best way to approach your car is always the same. It does not matter if you are coming out of your apartment or out of a shopping mall late at night. As you approach the car, visually check it from a distance. Look around the car to see if anyone is near it. Also check under the car from a distance. The object is to see whether someone is hiding under the car or lurking around the car. When approaching the car, always have your keys or automatic key lock in your hand and ready to use. Holding the keys correctly also provides you with a weapon if needed. 

When you get close enough to the car, check the back seat. After entering the car, lock the doors. Don't waste time fixing your hair or checking your makeup in the rear view mirror. Right after locking the car, start the engine. This will allow you the opportunity to drive away quickly if you have to. Once the car is running, you can put on your safety belt, adjust your seat and secure your purse or briefcase.

 When Entering Your Automobile

Always have your keys in hand with the door key ready to insert. Immediately after you enter the car, lock all the doors and start your engine. If trouble starts after you have turned on the engine, then you can drive away. Also with the car started, you have at your disposal a formidable weapon.

When Exiting Your Automobile

When exiting the car, keep the keys out in you hand. If you were to encounter trouble outside the car, you will be able to get back inside the vehicle quickly. Remember to always hold onto the keys. This also provides you with a weapon to use (keys). Also, if you are holding onto your keys when exiting the car, you won't lock them in the car. It is also important to check the mirrors to see if anyone is around your car. Remember that when exiting a car, you are not always paying attention to your surroundings, and this is an excellent time for a thief to rob you.

Placing Personal Items

You never want to place purses, briefcases, or other large items on the passenger seat. Few targets provide as easy a score as this one. If a criminal sees a purse on the passenger seat, they will try to take it. This type of crime occurs at a red traffic light or when you are stuck in traffic. A thief can easily reach into your car and take the purse or briefcase. Once stolen, there's nothing left to do but fill out a police report. You can't chase after the thief since your car is sitting at some intersection. If you leave the car to chase the thief, you may find that your car is gone when you get back.

 Have you ever chased a young teenager? They run very fast, have excellent reflexes, and endurance. Not only will you loose your purse but there is also a good chance that the thief will break the window to grab the purse. This is easily done with the assistance of a small wheel bearing, spark plug or rock.) That leads to another expense that quite often is less than your insurance deductible.

 The best place to put a purse is as high up in the leg well of the passenger seat as possible. This way it's out of sight from criminals. If the purse is small enough, then there is one place safer than the passenger leg well. Place the purse between the driver seat and your legs. Keep the purse close to the driver seat so that your legs cover it. This obstructs the view and therefore deters criminals. Large purses may not fit between your legs and the driver seat. Place them high up in the passenger leg well. If your purse slides around between your seat and your legs, than place the purse high up in the passenger leg well.

 Smash and grab - A smash and grab is exactly what it sounds like. A criminal will smash your car or window and then grab anything that they think is of value. Whether on not you are in the vehicle at the time of the robbery is irrelevant.

 Also keep in mind that the content of the item makes no difference. A thief does not know whether or not a purse is empty or filled to the brim with money. Don't take a chance. Remember that even if the purse is empty, the cost of replacing the car window is expensive.

 Briefcases should always be stored in the trunk or placed flat on the floor on the front passenger seat leg well. Securing the briefcase on its side reduces the view of the criminal and removes the handle from being used to remove the briefcase from the car.

 Many women passengers hold onto their purse. This will not do. A thief is going to break the window to get at the purse. When the window smashes, the first thing that most people do is cover their face. They will release the purse instinctively while doing this.

The best place for the passenger's purse is under her legs right up against the seat. Groceries and other packages should be stored in the trunk.

 How often have you parked your car in a parking lot during the day, and tried to find it at night. Do you ever consider whether there is sufficient lighting in the parking lot? During the day, you probably wouldn't, but you should. You wouldn't feel safe walking in a dark, empty parking lot, would you? What if you work in a bar or restaurant and are leaving for the night? Would you feel safe if you had to walk alone across a large parking lot with or without adequate lighting? Try following these simple guidelines, when parking your automobile. 

1. Never park near a wall or bushes where someone can jump out at you or park by a van or truck where you can't see inside the vehicle. Someone may be waiting to grab you.
2. Park under a light close to your walking destination.
3. Remember where you parked your car. This seems obvious but if you don't know where your car is, then you will appear lost or confused and will therefore become a target and potential victim.

Road Rage

The term “road rage” originated in the United States but the phenomenon is worldwide. In its broadest sense it refers to any inward or outward display of aggression by a driver. However, the term generally equated to the more extreme acts of aggression that occurs as a direct result of disagreements between drivers. It is also not necessarily designated to driving on roads. Parking lot disputes also fall under this term.

What Causes Aggressive Driving?

Violent traffic disputes are rarely the result of a single incident, but rather are the cumulative result of a series of stressful events in a driver’s life. The traffic incident that turns violent is often “the last straw.” It's a cumulative buildup of stress that feeds the fire. Some of the common triggers that ignite road rage are: 

1. Arguments over parking spaces

2. Cutting another motorist off

3. Refusing to allow a motorist to pass

4. Minor traffic accidents

5. Loud music

6. Obscene gestures

7. Overuse of the horn

8. Slow driving /   Tailgating

9. Failure to use turn signals

Who participates in Road Rage?

There is no one profile of an aggressive driver. Many are relatively young, poorly educated males with criminal records, histories of violence, and drug or alcohol problems, and many have recently suffered an emotional or professional setback. However, many other are successful men and women without troubled histories also get road rage. Aggressive tailgating is the most common form of road rage, followed by headlight flashing and obscene gestures. Other forms are deliberate obstruction other vehicles and verbal abuse.

How to Avoid Becoming a Victim

If another driver is aggravating you, try not to react. Avoid making eye contact, as this is often seen as confrontational. Don’t be tempted to accelerate, brake, or swerve suddenly; again, this may be seen as confrontational and increases your chances of losing control of your vehicle.

1. If the driver continues to harass you or you think you are being followed, drive on to the nearest police station or busy place to get help. Don’t go to your home or friends house. You want to stay somewhere in public.
2. If someone tries to get into your car, attract attention by sounding your horn. Keeping the car windows up will help reduce this possibility.
3. Don’t get drawn into a fight and don’t carry any sort of weapon. It may provoke a potential assailant and could end up in his or her hands.
4. Use your cellular telephone to report dangerous drivers to the highway patrol. Do this even if you are not the target of the aggression.

How to protect yourself

How do you protect yourself against road rage? The following safety precautions will help.

• Don’t take traffic problems personally
• Avoid eye contact with an aggressive driver
• Don’t let the car phone distract you
• Don’t make obscene gestures (that makes you participate and the incident escalates)
• Don’t tailgate
• Use your horn sparingly (the polite honk can be misinterpreted)
• Don’t block the passing or turning lane (some drivers think that you are doing something to them and may decide to “teach you a lesson”)
• Leave adequate time to complete your trip - don’t be rushed
• Keep your eyes on the road
• Don’t react to provocation
• Stay back from drivers behaving erratically
• Always signal before changing lanes
• Don’t take more than one parking space
• If you are not disabled, don’t park in a disabled space
• Don’t allow your door to hit the car parked next to you
• If you travel slowly, pull over and allow traffic to pass
• Avoid using your high beam headlights
• Don’t stop in the road to talk with the “other driver”
• Don’t inflict loud music on neighboring cars (especially in bumper to bumper traffic)

Other Useful Thoughts:

• Assume other drivers’ mistakes are just that. Don’t take them personal.
• Be polite and courteous, even if the other driver isn’t.
• Avoid all conflict if possible. If another driver challenges you, relax and move out of the way.
• Before reacting to an aggressive driver, ask yourself if it is worth a jail sentence or being injured or killed. Ask yourself how important is this incident in your life?
• Put on some relaxing music in your car, to change your stress level and mindset.