Always park your car in a well-lit area and remember where you have parked. Hitting the remote to find your car lets an attacker know where you’re headed. When you return to your car, keep your head up, walk quickly and purposefully to your car, and keep your keys in your hand. When approaching your car, open the door only when you are next to your car. If possible, don’t open the trunk or passenger door to load packages – enter your car with your bags, lock the car doors immediately and turn the engine on, even before you buckle up. The quicker you enter, lock and start the engine, the safer you will be. This gives an attacker very little time to approach you. If a van or large car is parked next to the driver’s side, enter your car from the passenger’s side.
If you need to put a child into the car, get in the rear seat with the child and lock the door while you get them buckled into their seat, then close and lock the door until you are at the driver’s door.
“THANKS FOR THE RIDE...”
Do you really know the person who offers to escort you home? Rapists usually aren’t hiding in the bushes: nearly two-thirds of all rapes are committed by someone known to the victim, and a non-stranger perpetrates 73% of sexual assaults. Don’t assume that a friend-of-a-friend is a safe bet: consider them a stranger. And that great guy you met online and spent a fun few hours with at the bar may be handsome and charming, but he is still a stranger. If you are taking a cab or car service, look for an ID badge number and check that the interior door handle works – and never enter a taxi when there is someone else in the passenger seat!