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Safety Tips for the Traveling Woman

Avoiding Theft and/or Attacks.

I'm not a paranoid traveler, though I am a cautious one; especially when traveling alone.

Below I've listed some strategies, tips, defense mechanisms and facts to help you ward off potential trouble.

Thieves often perceive females as easier targets for theft than men. Women should travel with a little extra care; keep your caution edge in tune. It's easy to let down your guard when on vacation or business travel. Don't let concerns stop you, just remember to be aware of your surroundings.

First, always lock your doors at the hotel and in the rental car.

Always map out your ground travel prior to walking or driving.

Don't bring the bling: Avoid ostentatious jewelry; you will only draw more attention from a would be thief, and you could be injured if a thief yanks a bracelet from your wrist or a necklace from your throat.

Avoid deserted streets after dark: Stay in the safe areas of town; if you don't know, ask your hotel staff!

Watch the crowd: Some thieves prefer crowded areas - stay alert in places like bus stations and during street celebrations, where you're likely to be jostled - thieves use these circumstances to grab your stuff.

A few interesting facts: The #1 thing an attacker looks for in a potential female victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, braid or other long hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. Women with short hair are not common targets.

They also look for women on their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking, because they are off-guard and can be easily approached and overpowered.
The number one place women are abducted from/attacked at is grocery store parking lots. Number two is office parking lots/garages and number three is public restrooms. These men are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second, secluded location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.

The time of day men are most likely to attack and rape a woman is in the early morning, between 5a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Only 2% of the rapists interviewed said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence, but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.

Therefore, if you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because they know that going after you isn't worth it: It would be too time-consuming and they may get caught. These men said they will not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects in their hands that can be used from a distance. Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.

Defense mechanisms:
If someone is following you on the street or in a parking garage or is with you in an elevator or stairwell, and if you feel they are suspicious, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it?, or make general small talk: "We're having really bad weather today." -- Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a lineup, so you lose appeal as a target. Once you look a potential attacker in the eyes, they are far less likely to attack.

 If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell "Stop" or "Stay back!" Most of the rapists said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would NOT be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target. You should always carry pepper spray, (my Tae Kwondo self-defence instuctor was a big advocate of it) yelling "I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY" and holding it out will be a deterrent.

If someone grabs your wrist, pull your wrist back so your hand is (palm facing forward) and twist it toward yourself and pull your arm away. It is hard to hold onto a wrist when moving in this direction. They will stumble toward you, so keep moving in a backstep motion, then quickly use that momentum to backhand them with your knuckles to the forehead, nose or teeth. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and armpit or in the upper inner thigh Very HARD. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can; it hurts!

After the initial hit, always go for the groin. It is extremely painful if you hit a guy's testicles (do not be afraid, your life may be at stake!). You might think that you'll make the potential rapist really mad and make him want to hurt you more, but the rapists who were interviewed reported that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he'll take off.

If you see any odd behavior, or your intuition kicks-in, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts. Remove yourself from the vicinity of the person A.S.A.P.!

Travel Safe, Have Fun and remain Aware.

* Share this info with all the women in your life.

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Important WORDS OF WISDOM from a POLICE DETECTIVE about SEXUAL ASSAULT.
by: Detective Kevin Coffey

I have to share some things I have learned in my job with you. In my job, I have read hundreds and hundreds of files, and have taken note of some of the mistakes women make. Let me preface this by saying that a woman is NEVER EVER EVER at fault for being raped or attacked, but there are definitely ways to reduce your risk of being a victim.

Here are the most common mistakes women make that could result in them getting kidnapped, attacked, and/or raped:

1. Getting into the attacker's car when he pulls a gun and orders you to get into his vehicle.

Most attackers don't want to shoot you ... they want you to get into the car so that they can drive you to a deserted place and torture you. Don't comply. Run screaming. It is MUCH more likely than not that he will just move on to an easier target.

2. Pulling over when a man drives alongside of you pointing at your car pretending something is wrong.

If this happens, drive to the nearest well-lit and populated gas station and look the car over yourself (or ask an attendant). Never pull over. Believe it or not, many women have fallen for this for fear of their car spontaneously exploding in the middle of the road. Not likely.

3. Not locking your doors while driving.

I have read several cases where the attacker simply walks up to a woman's car while she's at a traffic light and jumps in with his gun or knife drawn.

4. Opening your front door/hotel door when you have not positively identified who is there.

If you don't have a peep hole, get one. I've seen countless cases where the attacker gains access to his victims simply by knocking on their door. Don't let an attacker get into your home. He then has a private, relatively soundproof place to attack you.

5. Not being alert in parking lots.

If you go to the grocery store at night, don't be shy about asking for an escort to your car. Too many women are abducted from parking lots or even raped in the parking lot. Look in your back seat before entering your car. Cars provide endless hiding places for attackers, both inside them and in between them.

Be aware of your surroundings by looking to the left and right and behind you with your head up all the time. You may appear paranoid and look funny to others, but an attacker will think twice about approaching someone who appears so aware of what's going on.

6. Trusting a clean cut, honest looking stranger.

I see mug shots of every sex offender. They do not look like monsters. They often look like they could be your friendly grocer, bank teller, waiter, neighbor, clergy, doctor, etc. They are every age between 15 and 90, and probably beyond. Only a small minority actually look scary.

7. Trusting people to be alone with your children.

This is a difficult one, because child molesters end up being the LAST person the parents would believe is the molester. Most of the child molesting cases I see involve the stepfather, the uncle, the sister's boyfriend, the mother's boyfriend, the grandfather, the baby-sitter, the neighbor, the family friend, the youth camp director, day care worker, etc. Although rare, even women can be molesters.

In every case, the perpetrator is a nice guy, trusting, good with children, and the family is baffled or even in disbelief that the person could be abusing their child. When it comes to your children and grandchildren, be suspicious of everyone, no matter who they are. And pay attention to what your child says and how he/she reacts to the mention of different people in their lives.

I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable with this information. I have the dirty job of reading all these files, and it makes me feel good to know that I can share some inferences from what I have learned. This is not an exhaustive list of what not to do, but just some things that I have observed more than just a few times.

- Detective Kevin Coffey