Keep Yourself Safe In The Parking Lot: Seven Simple Solutions

Parking Lot Safety
Property of SpencerCoursen.com @ 2015 All Rights Reserved.

80% of crimes reported at retail and shopping
centers take place in parking lots and garages.

Perhaps the most signiﬁcant factor, is that in addition to
having our hands full as we move to our cars, parking
lots are a naturally reﬂective “transition space.”

Moving to our vehicles
is a time when the mind
(however subconsciously)
is most likely to either revert back
to what we were just doing or
project forward to what
we are about to do.

…and more vulnerable to attack.
This means we are less likely to be situationally
aware of our immediate surroundings…

BE AWARE OF THIS DISADVANTAGE!
Make the following best practices
part of your everyday "parking process"
and help bring your mind to the present.
Increasing your situational awareness
drastically reduces your likelihood of
being targeted.

SafetyTip #1
Whenever possible,
choose to park in a
parking lot rather than
a parking garage.

The natural visibility of a parking lot is much
better than inside a parking garage where
line-of-site safety is drastically reduced by
support beams, ramps, and stairwells.

SafetyTip #2
Try to park in areas that are
well-lit and easily accessible.
Those closest to the store’s
main entrance or parking
garage exits are best.

If you have to call for help, you want to
be found fast, so it's best to avoid dark,
remote, and hard to describe locations.
Ask yourself this question when you get out
of your car: If you were to scream for help,
would anyone see or hear you? If the
answer is"No" park elsewhere.

SafetyTip #3
If you feel someone is
following you or paying
you the wrong kind of
attention, look at them
right in the face.

Take away the "element of surprise," and their anonymity.You
can now describe them to police and pick them out of a lineup.
Criminals avoid attacking victims who can identify them.

SafetyTip #4
If someone is coming
toward you, hold out your
hand in front of you and
yell "NO!" "STOP!" or
"STAY BACK!"

Criminals interviewed after their crimes repeatedly say they would leave a
woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back.
Attackers play your fear to their advantage.
Turn the tables and use it to yours.

SafetyTip #5
Use the panic alarm. If you
sound the alarm well-before you
get to your car (like as you’re
leaving the store.) The attention
of everyone in the surrounding
area will be brought to your car.

Your car alarm will bring unwanted attention to any would-
be-attacker near your car and will drastically reduce their
likelihood of attack. Intentionally "sounding the alarm" has
the added bonus of raising your own awareness too.

SafetyTip #6
If you have a baby, young
children, or just a lot of stuff to
carry, try to park so that the side
of the car you use to load/unload
faces the store's entrance.

You’ll be safer where those entering and
exiting the store can see and hear you.

SafetyTip #7
Keep in mind that how you
park is just as important as
where you park. Be aware of
who’s in the car next to you
and avoid getting “boxed in.”

If you see someone suspicious in the car next
to you, especially if it's a van, exercise caution.
TRUSTYOUR OWN INSTINCTS
It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Remember:
Effective self-defense begins long
before a physical altercation.
Awareness of your surroundings,
awareness of your environment, and
awareness of what looks ‘out of place,’
prepares you physically and mentally
for what may come next.

Being aware and engaged with
your environment promotes a
confidence that is often your first
line of defense in convincing a
would-be-attacker that they will
have a greater chance of success
targeting someone else.

Spencer Coursen is a combat veteran,
expert security consultant, threat
assessment advisor, and protective
intelligence strategist. Over the course of
his diverse career he has advanced,
planned, and led more than 300
protective missions to 163 different
countries. He is the founder of
Coursen Security Group which provides
security consulting services to a diverse range of clientele on
how to most effectively reduce risk, prevent violence, and
enhance the certainty of safety for all involved.
Tweet @SpencerCoursen / Connect via LinkedIn

Keep Yourself Safe In The Parking Lot: Seven Simple Solutions

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