As a husband and father of two girls, personal protection for women is very important to me. We teach AAA, Awareness, Avoidance, and Aggression. The thing that I like most about the first two As is that they are mostly mental, draw little to no attention to yourself, and if done habitually will help you avoid 99% of the scenarios where Aggression would be necessary. The other issue is that many times women are not alone. They have the kids with them, so being aware and avoiding any potentially dangerous situation is even more vital. So, without further ado, here are the top personal protection habits for women.
1- Trust your intuition- in my experience, women have much better intuition than men because they are naturally more often the victim of unprovoked attacks. Unfortunately, they also are more likely to discount these feelings because of not wanting to appear rude. Save that for people you know. When it comes to strangers, error on the side of survival and trust your instincts.
2- Back your vehicle in or pull through whenever possible- many assaults and abductions take place around vehicles. When your vehicle is pulled nose in, it is too easy to make the habit of just opening the door and getting in. When you are backed in, you are forced to turn around once you have approached the car and this gives you another chance to check your surroundings. Also, if you have car trouble, it is much easier to get a jump start and you will be facing forward if you need to wait for assistance.
3- Be the last in and the first out of any door- whether it is the door to your office or the door to the parking garage, be the courteous one and let everyone go before you and leave before they do. Never let anyone get between you and the door.
4- Stay off your phone in open areas- there are only really three types of areas; vehicles, structures, and open places. In vehicle and structures you can secure yourself or at least put your back against the wall as you get lost in your phone. This is not possible in open areas. A good rule of thumb is to stay off your phone unless you have something you can lean against.
5- Putting the kids in the vehicle- develop a way of doing things and stick to it. For many Moms deploying to Wal Mart with the clan mean lots of car seat and seat belt buckling. When possible, park close to other cars but leave space all the way around if possible. This way if you are distracted while loading the kids, it is harder for someone to sneak up on you. Enlist the help of the older kids to keep an eye out for danger and you deal with the little ones. Tell them to let you know if anyone approaches the vehicle. If space will allow, lock yourself in while getting the kids buckled in. Don’t be in the back of an unsecured vehicle with the engine running. It is too easy for someone to jump in the driver’s seat and take off.
6- Be wary of anyone trying to stop your movement- This may come in the form of someone asking for money or simply just blocking your path. Red flags should pop up. Get in the habit of saying “no thank you” without stopping. A great way to practice this is walking past kiosks at the mall.
7- Don’t be afraid to scream- noise of any kind is the best way to get attention. Shocking statements like “fire” and “leave me alone” are best.
