Safety Tips to Help You Avoid Being a Victim!

These are some common sense tips that you can follow to help you avoid being a victim of random crime. You may have heard some of them before but it doesn’t hurt to reiterate them!

1. Be Alert! Keep your head up. Be aware of your surroundings. Wherever you are on the street, in an office building or shopping malls, driving, waiting for a bus or cab, stay alert and tuned in to your surroundings.
2. Vary your routines. Predictability makes you a more likely target.
3. Lock it! Home, car, office – locks are your first line of defense.
4. Make your home a tough target. Use floodlights, motion sensors, a security system, deadbolts, etc.
5. Foil Car-jackers. Keep windows and doors locked. Check mirrors and blind spots when stopped. Stay one to one and a half lengths away from the car ahead of you. Sound your horn and flash your lights if you think you’re being approached by a car-jacker.
6. Avoid Car Theft. Lock it. Use an anti-theft device. Turn the wheels when you park. Never leave a spare key inside the car. Park in a well-lighted place. Put packages in the trunk.
7. Trust your instincts. If something or someone makes you uncomfortable, avoid the person or leave.
8. Know your neighborhoods where you live and work. Check out the locations of police and fire stations, hospitals, and restaurants, or stores that are open late.