Automobile Safety
1. Always have
your keys out and ready before leaving a building to approach your car. Fumbling
through your purse for keys after you've reached your car provides
criminals an excellent opportunity to sneak up on you.
2. Look around
and in your car before entering. If you are concerned for any reason, walk
past your car instead of getting into it.
3. Use a
two-piece key ring with your door/ignition key separate from your other important
keys. Give parking valets or mechanics your car keys only. Supplying your
entire set of keys creates an opportunity for duplicates to be made.
4. If your
vehicle has tinted windows, use the reflection to scan the area on either side
and behind you. By being alert to your surroundings you could avoid a potentially
dangerous situation.
5. Lock your car
immediately after entering the vehicle. Make this your first action, even
before putting your keys in the ignition.
6. Check your
surroundings before you get out of your car. If something or someone strikes
you as out of place or threatening, drive away.
7. If you are
involved in an accident, stay with your car until the police arrive. In minor
accidents where the other driver suggests you exchange insurance information,
simply hold your drivers' license and insurance information against the window.
8. Get a cell
phone. Using a cellular phone is an effective means of keeping help close
at hand during accidents, breakdowns, or other roadside emergencies.
9. If you are
accosted in a parking lot, away from your own vehicle, consider rolling
underneath a nearby vehicle. It is difficult to force anyone from under a
car.
10. Make a
practice of filling up your vehicle when your gas tank is about half empty.
Never let it go so low that you are forced to stop for fuel, particularly at
night in an unfamiliar area.
11. Lock your car
and take your keys when you get out to pump gas. Leaving the door unlocked
and the keys in the ignition invites a carjacking.
12. NEVER PICK
UP HITCHHIKERS. It is never safe to have a stranger in your car.