Rick's Personal Safety Tips For Women Driving Alone

For most women driving alone is a perfectly safe and enjoyable thing to do however it is a fact that approximately eight out of 10 women can feel nervous while driving alone. This article offers some basic safety driving tips and avoidance strategies for women when driving alone. All motorists need to be alert and cautious, female drivers unfortunately have to be even more vigilant in order to avoid falling prey to criminal acts such as carjacking, vehicle insurance scams, intimidation, sexual assault or other criminal threats. It is well known that female drivers are often seen as “soft targets” by criminals.

MAINTAIN A SITUATIONAL AWARENESS MINDSET WHEN DRIVING ALONE

In a nutshell all this means is to be continuously aware of your surroundings when driving and not to be easily distracted. Use your vehicle mirrors effectively to scan for perceived threats that may pose a threat to your personal safety. Remember “The biggest threat to your personal safety is ignoring that there is a threat"

IS YOUR VEHICLE MECHANICALLY SOUND?

It doesn’t really matter what your vehicle looks like, what is more important is that it is reliable and gets you from A – B as safely as possible. Breaking down on a quiet road in the early hours of the morning when alone as a female can be a very daunting experience and is just one of many scenarios that you should try to avoid if driving alone as a female. Consider the following in relation to your vehicle:

• A well-maintained vehicle is less likely to break down or give you problems. Keep your vehicle in good mechanical condition and have it serviced regularly, especially if you frequently drive alone.

• Always ensure you have plenty of fuel before the start of your journey.

• Consider fitting run flat tyres to your vehicle is a good idea and especially important if you live in a rural environment or drive through some high-risk areas of crime.

• Car phone charger adapter is a must to ensure you can always use your phone.

• GPS is another must. Top tip ladies, spend time to totally familiarize yourself in its use.

• Always check your spare tyre is in good working condition and vehicle emergency equipment such as spare water, oil, first aid kit, jump leads, vehicle jack, tool box, torch, emergency triangle and hi visibility vest are just a few items that should be contained within your vehicle.

• If you do not have run flat tyres, I highly recommend that you are fully acquainted with how to change a spare tyre on your own vehicle. Never say never, yes you may just have to change it one day by yourself.

• Paying a yearly membership for road side assistance is also highly advised.

BASIC SECURITY DRIVING TIPS

• Plan your trips– make sure you’ve mapped out the route you’re traveling on to avoid getting lost or having to stop in awkward places. Don’t drive in the dark if you are not familiar with the surroundings. It is also a good habit to always let someone know of your whereabouts to ensure your own safety should you need help sent to you.

• Always park in safe well-lit areas and when approaching your vehicle have your keys in your hand as they can be used to defend yourself if required. Also try to avoid using your mobile phone when approaching your vehicle as it distracts you from your immediate surroundings.

• Conduct a quick visual 360 degree search around your vehicle for any suspicious objects.

• Criminals will often use tactics like placing objects such as bottles filled with water between the tyres and wheel arches in order to make you get out of your vehicle when you hear an unusual noise when you drive off. It is when you exit your vehicle is when you are most vulnerable.

• Walk to your vehicle with your keys in your hand and only open the driver’s door when in close proximity to your vehicle.

• Once inside your vehicle ensure all windows are fully up and all doors are securely locked and the engine is immediately started.

• If you feel threatened once inside your vehicle then consider options available such as driving off quickly to a safe area, repeatedly pressing your vehicle horn to warn off criminals or suspicious persons and to help alert members of the public nearby or calling the police and informing them of the situation and your current location.

• When driving in a built up urban environment you should never have your windows lowered even by a few inches.

  
  

• Slowly, slowly roll towards traffic lights on a RED therefore hoping to catch a GREEN light. Remember being mobile is your best form of defense. When you do come to a static stop do not allow your vehicle to get boxed in if possible. The rule of thumb is if you cannot see the rear tyres of the vehicle in front of you, then you are far too close and it will be extremely difficult to manouvre out if required.

• When your vehicle comes to a static stop, always try and identify a possible vehicle escape route that you can use in a drastic emergency situation. Consider driving either left, right, forward or backwards. This may mean taking sudden evasive action such as driving on the other side of the road towards oncoming traffic, driving over an open space area such as a park/waste ground, driving through a red light itself or even shunting a vehicle out of the way to make good your exit. If you have to execute this type of emergency manoeuvre then ensure your hazard lights and headlights are switched on and by continuously beeping your horn should hopefully help to warn other road users.

• Always keep your valuables in your vehicle out of sight such as laptops, handbag, mobile phone, cameras etc.

  
  

• Should you wish to interact with someone alongside your vehicle then only open the window a few inches to talk.

• Be aware of any person trying to signal to you that there is something wrong with your vehicle. If this does happen then pull in to a safe public area to check. It is worth noting that there are still honest and law abiding citizens out there however it is understandable to be suspicious and cautious.

• Do not stop for just anyone – you simply can’t just trust anyone. Be aware of police impersonators, hitchhikers and “stranded motorists”. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut instinct rather than your emotions.

• If you suspect you are being followed by another vehicle then try to get as much detail on the other vehicle as possible, such as make/model, colour, description of occupants and Vehicle Registration Number (VRN) if possible. An old school tip is to implement some counter surveillance techniques to confirm you are definitely being followed such as driving around a roundabout 3 times (might make you a bit dizzy but it definitely works), suddenly increasing your speed or by signalling left for a while intending to make a left turn and then suddenly switching and signalling to make a right turn and always looking for the reaction of the following vehicle/driver in your rear mirror.

• I highly recommend both forward and rear facing cameras fitted to the inside of your vehicle. These cameras are excellent for evidence purposes should the police require this to investigate a complaint by yourself. Nowadays vehicle cameras are relatively cheap to buy but definitely worth considering.

• Lastly, never get involved in a road rage incident. Ask yourself this, do you really know the intent and background of the person or persons in the other vehicle. These types of incidents can turn extremely nasty very quickly so avoid at all costs.

Rick Herbert

Security Consultant

Gibraltar