Parking Lot Safety

Situational Awareness

It can't be overstated, situational awareness will save you. When I was in the service, one of the warrant officers I worked with used to take the young guys out back of the building we worked in just to impress them with his ability to break a cinderblock with his bare hands. Then one day on his way home he saw a woman being assaulted by two less than upstanding citizens. He gallantly leapt to her aide and confronted one of the bad guys. His lack of situational awareness put him in the hospital when the second guy hit him from behind with a baseball bat. He was just slightly saved from a dirt nap by the guy's inability to swing the bat that little bit harder.

Above all else, remain aware of your situation.
 
I prefer not to park close to the store but a bit farther out.
Makes it easier to see if someone is following and prevents the vehicle from being blocked.
I also keep my keys on a belt clip to keep my strong hand free.
 
I also keep my keys on a belt clip to keep my strong hand free.
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Me too! But the new vehicles have electronic key device, that gadget plus keys are on carabineer attached to belt, un clip electronic key, step into Jeep and doors locked, drive off, I normally back in!

When using shopping cart, unload and lock vehicle, walk cart back to store, come back hands free, bit of exercise as well.

Also only put seat belt on when I am un-parked, and running free.

Good habits do not need to be pondered over, but do same checks, always.
 
Brit said:
Me too! But the new vehicles have electronic key device, that gadget plus keys are on carabineer attached to belt, un clip electronic key, step into Jeep and doors locked, drive off, I normally back in!

When using shopping cart, unload and lock vehicle, walk cart back to store, come back hands free, bit of exercise as well.

Also only put seat belt on when I am un-parked, and running free.

Good habits do not need to be pondered over, but do same checks, always.
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This is about my usualy routine. Park at the end of the lot, near a light if its dark. Load up my car, lock it up while returning the cart, then jump in and drive off, buckling up as I exit the lot.

I must admit, I started parking farther away as a resolution to get a bit more exercise. I never minded the extra steps, and its a hell of a lot less congrested at the end of the lot, where all the lazy people won't park.
 
skoro said:
Parking lot predators tune in to individuals who dawdle around in or near their vehicles, oblivious to everything around them. And they have a marked preference for female victims. Sitting idle in your car either on arrival or departure makes you a target, as does sitting there gabbing on a cell phone.
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That is the single best crime prevention tip in the universe, be it in parking lots, city streets, or your driveway. The overwhelming majority of victims never saw the attack coming. Alert people rarely get selected, and if they do, it's for a specific reason.
 
"If your car mysteriously will not start when it ran perfectly before, call a garage, AAA or a road service, or store security. Do not exit the car, or if you do so, use EXTREME caution."

Can anyone elaborate on this one?

I think the best advice of all is to listen to one's own instincts.

I pay attention to my own sense of ease or dis-ease. I quit a job I liked in a low crime town in a low crime state because I had to walk across our parking lot, across a street, and alongside a motel parking lot to my car at night.

I grew up in the ghetto and have plenty of inner city experience, but that walk to my car at night made me feel more at risk than standing on a corner talking to crackheads near the projects in a drive-by corridor, so I just stopped doing it.
 
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The overwhelming majority of victims never saw the attack coming
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I have heard this more than once "He" "They" came out of nowhere!

Never saw the assailant, why? They were not looking.
 
Maximize your distance from parked vehicle which block your view and provide cover for potential threats. Special attention/caution should be given to vans without windows or dark tinted windows. Distance is your friend. It gives you more time to react.

If you have observed people in parking lots, you will see some (mostly women) who never look around, they look down at nothing or are digging in their purse.
 
If you have the option of parking in a lot or garage that has security or even just an attendant, park there. The guard doesn't need to be a super hero to keep you safe, bad guys would likely tend to pick a spot with nobody around.
 
Watch a mother with a kid in a stroller as she goes to her mini-van, straps the kid into the child seat, puts the stroller into the back, then gets in to drive away.

If she's alone, she's about as vulnerable as anyone can get, especially while strapping the fussing kid in, while her back is exposed.

You can learn a lot by watching bad examples; loading stuff is a most vulnerable moment for many of us.

I like to avoid the beeline to my vehicle by walking down the wrong aisle then suddenly cutting over to the right row. It's just a few extra steps, wakes me up, and gives me a different view of my vehicle.
 
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