safety tips

today i wanted to talk a bit about personal safety and things you can do to make sure you’re always prepared and protected. one of my big recommendations would be to carry around pepper spray at all times! pepper spray is especially great for when you’re walking on campus at night, walking to your car at night after work, going on a run, or going out.

                                                                                                                                                                           

not too long ago i was leaving a store late at night by myself. my car typically locks the car on its own after driving for a min, so as i was driving out of the parking lot my doors were still unlocked and someone came up and opened my car door on my side as i was driving and i was in complete shock, they started talking to me like they knew me, but then they realized i wasn’t who they thought i was and apologized, luckily i was okay, but if this was a dangerous person this would’ve been a different situation and having pepper spray would’ve been crucial.

i highly recommend sabre when shopping for your pepper spray. sabre uses pepper gel, which helps eliminate wind blowback and only affects what it directly contacts! additionally, sabre pepper gel offers a 20% greater range for protection. AD

here are sabre’s top 10 safety tips on how to maximize prevention, steer clear from dangerous situations, and protect yourself, if you ever end up in a threatening situation:

prevention

1.  make yourself a hard target.

criminals look for ‘soft targets,’ like those who are distracted on their phone, walking with music, looking lost, carrying valuables, or have their hands full. the next few tips will cover specific ways to make sure you are a hard target.

2.  use ‘when then’ thinking.

when you find yourself in a difficult situation (possibly  even life threatening) you want to have a pre-planned, practiced, response  in mind. if you have a plan, you will be able to respond appropriately, rather than react irrationally in a panic. having pre-planned “actions” in mind will help you get through a frightening situation.

3.  keep your distance.

an assailant has an advantage: they know an attack is coming, and you don’t. however, if you stay 12’ (4M) away from strangers whenever possible, they have to take three steps to reach you. by taking strides towards you, they’ll raise your suspicions and give you a chance to react, whether that’s using verbal commands or using pepper spray.

4. go safely with confidence – or a buddy.

when you portray alertness and confidence, you make an attacker believe you would be more likely to fight back, which makes for a bad victim in their eyes. this goes back to being a hard target; stand tall when you walk, and make sure you’re engaged with your surroundings.

the buddy-system is also smart to deter any threats. a companion is a built-in witness and reduces the odds a predator will see you as a vulnerable target. the buddy system advice even expands beyond human relationships. for instance, are you just going out to grab the mail?

bring your dog or a personal safety tool (like a personal alarm or pepper spray) along.

 

5.  when arriving somewhere, remember these 10 seconds to safety.

SECONDS	CONDITION	WHAT TO DO	ASK YOURSELF
1-2	destination is in eyesight	scan the area	is everything as expected?
3-4	exiting car, bus, etc. with elevated eye level	notice surroundings	are people around? how are they acting?
5-6	approach destination	gut check (always trust your instincts!)	am i uneasy? does activity seem normal?
7-8	at the doorway/entrance	scan the inside	is anyone or anything out of place? is the door locked? should it be? (ex. something might be off if a convenience store door is locked during business hours)
9-10	entering the venue	final gut check	too few people? too many? is the noise level appropriate for this time of day? (ex. something might be off if it's unusually quiet at a bakery at 9am)

 

Protection

6. use verbal commands.

if someone is approaching you and making you feel uncomfortable, do not be afraid to express this out loud. politeness is not worth your safety.

here are a few examples:

·   please stop, you're making me uncomfortable.

·   stop!

· leave me alone!

·   [to witnesses] i don't know this person!

·   [to witnesses] DIAL 911!

7. consider your personal safety options.

educate yourself on pepper sprays, personal alarms, and stun guns to make sure you’re more confident, more comfortable, and safer in any situation.

·   pepper spray is especially effective for a few reasons.

1. protection at a safe distance - why go hands on?

2. very practical - protection against multiple threats

3. legal to carry in all 50 states

4. doesn't require size or strength to use

5. proven effective - police worldwide carry pepper spray

·   stun guns are another smart defensive safety tool, but know that you must be within arm's length of the attacker to effectively use it.

·   personal alarms  are safe for anyone, regardless of age. these alarms allow you to call for help, audible up to 1450' away – over 5 city blocks (perfect complement to a pepper spray or stun gun to maximize your personal safety).

8. get familiar with the product you choose.

you want to be able to grab it in a dark room or in a bag and be able to point it at an attacker. products like practice sprays are great ways to get familiar with pepper sprays, so that you’re comfortable using it in a dangerous situation. a personal alarm can also be tested easily at home.

9. make sure your personal safety products are accessible.

a pepper spray that’s buried in your bag won’t help if you’re in danger. one easy way to make sure you’re always prepared is to use the “when then” thinking we mentioned earlier, not “if then” thinking.

instead of saying to yourself “if i’m walking through an empty parking lot, then i’ll use pepper spray to protect myself.” it’s smart to instead think “when i’m walking through an empty parking lot, i’ll have my pepper spray in hand and readily accessible so the when a threat approaches, i’m ready to defend myself.”

 

10. trust your gut. 

ultimately, your instincts do a pretty great job telling you when danger is close by. it’s hard to say how you’ll react when faced with a dangerous situation. by taking precautions and always being prepared, especially with personal safety products, the more likely you will be able to react quickly and escape to safety.