Awareness - The Key to Personal Safety
There are many products on the market today that can be carried
for personal protection. From stun guns to pepper spray to
personal alarms, these items are made compact enough to carry on
your keychain or in a purse. And if used properly, they can be a
huge factor in prevention of crimes against people.
However, there is one tool that we all possess that can be
detrimental to one's safety, and that tool is Awareness. How
many times have you found yourself running errands, in a hurry,
and you virtually had 'tunnel-vision'? Unaware of everything
going on around you except what you were doing at the time.
A friend of mine was out of town last year and his wife, who was
eight months pregnant was out shopping. At 2:00 in the afternoon
in a newly developed shopping district, she was leaving a crafts
store, with her arms full of shopping bags. While approaching
her vehicle, a man drove up beside her to ask for directions to
a mall nearby. As she started to reply, he reached out of his
window and grabbed the purse that was strapped over her
shoulder. She was pulled down to the ground and had to let go as
he drove off with the purse in his grasp. Fortunately she
escaped serious injury and only personal items were lost. The
thief was probably a bit disappointed when he discovered only
three dollars cash in her purse. Since she cancelled all her
credit cards, $3 was all he got. At the time of the incident,
the woman who was robbed was not carrying any self defense
products (she is now of course). But more importantly, she could
have prevented the crime with that tool called Awareness. Had
she scanned the parking lot as she proceeded to her vehicle, the
suspicious man sitting in his car would have been spotted. And
simply making eye contact with him may have dissuaded the purse
snatcher, 'surprise' being a thief's best weapon. In addition,
by maintaining composure enough to get a license plate number,
she could have assisted Police in apprehension of this cowardly
criminal.
Stun guns, pepper spray, and personal alarms are excellent
products for self defense. They have saved many people from
catastrophe. If you carry one of these items, they should be
close by and ready to use. Carrying pepper spray in the bottom
of a purse would be of no help if it was needed at a moment's
notice. While these products can be very effective, they must be
used in conjunction with Awareness, otherwise they can be
rendered useless.