Safety Travel Tips

Advice to keep you safe.

—This article appeared in Foresight, July 1993. Used with permission.—Via Shepherdess International 

  • If you travel alone quite a lot, consider purchasing a cellu­lar phone for safety reasons.
  • Leave enough space between cars at a red light or stop sign to pull away if necessary. A good rule is to position your­self to be able to see the full rear tires of the car ahead of you. In potentially risky cir­cumstances, use the middle lane to avoid being pinned against the curb.
  • Keep vehicle locked and win­dows rolled up. If you vehicle is without air conditioning, keep the windows up enough so it will be difficult for some­one to reach in and take your purse, wallet, keys or other valuables, and/or threaten your safety.
  • Keep house keys on a sepa­rate ring from your car keys.
  • If approached by a person with a weapon—comply! The loss of your wallet, purse, and/or keys to your car are not worth your health, safety, and possibly your life.
  • Keep house and driveway well-lighted. When returning home, be aware of all vehicles and pedestrians—especially things or people out of the ordinary.
  • Do not leave purse or other valuables in view while you are driving, or while the car is parked. Don't set yourself up for a break-in. Use the car trunk to store purchased items.
  • Choose well-lighted, well-traveled facilities. If stopping to use a public facility such as a pay phone or gas station, park in a well-lighted place where the station attendant can see you.
  • Keep vehicle well-maintained and make sure it has plenty of gas. To avoidbeing stranded on the highway or a strange part of town, check oil and fluid levels, tire tread and pressure, and engine drive blets, hoses, radiator and bat­tery.
  • If forced to pull off the high­way, or vehicle becomes disabled, use extreme cau­tion. Use common sense when people stop and offer help.
  • Be careful after a minor rear-end accident. If you do not feel comfortable exiting your vehicle, write down the car tag, motion to the other driver and drive to the near­est police station, 24-hour store or service station, hos­pital or fire station.
  • Beware of police officer im­personations. If in doubt, ask for picture ID before leaving vehicle.