If you plan to go for a bike ride, no matter where, make sure to let someone know and to bring your cell phone and water. I know we like to clear our heads and be out of touch sometimes but the cell phone is more for safety and a communication necessity rather than social. The water is so you don't dehydrate and get dizzy. When we are physically weak our minds become weak and awareness levels drop.

Ladies, if someone ever verbally threatens you, do not take it lightly or write it off as "oh they are just trying to scare me." make sure to avoid that place again and report it immediately to someone who can help. Be sure to get documented proof that it was reported. This way you have a paper trail started if something continues in this manner.

Avoid parking your car next to vans or suspicious looking vehicles. Since a common form of abduction is throwing or pulling someone into a van, do not park near them at all. Many criminals will actually park their vans next to someone they saw parking their car alone. They know it will be a lot easier to just quickly pull or push you in one moment then to drag you across a parking lot or parking garage. Stay away from vans or any shady looking vehicles.

When you are parking your car, think about taking an extra 10 seconds to back in to the parking spot as opposed to pulling in face first. If you have to get away from a situation quickly, it is a lot easier and more efficient to pull straight out and go. You want to think like a law enforcement official, they are backed in to their spots when parked because if they have to respond to an emergency, it saves them to time so they can be more efficient.

When parking your vehicle in a parking lot, if there are emergency phones throughout the parking lot, popular on collegiate campuses, do your best to park near one. Those phones are always well lit and offer direct access to emergency help should you ever need one.

If you are food shopping and walking to your car, use your cart as a barrier between you and potential danger. Should someone approach you, and your intuition tells you it is not safe, begin to back pedal keeping the cart in between you and this person. If you find you need to take swifter action, sacrifice the food by thrusting the cart at them and get back to the supermarket as quickly as possible. I am sure that due to the circumstances you will be reimbursed.

If a stranger or someone you do not feel comfortable with approaches you at your car, do your best to keep the car between you and that person. You will then want to consider attracting attention to yourself by making a scene so that you scare them off. Do not attempt to out speed them by trying to get in your car faster then they can get around to you or jump in another door themselves. If you get stuck in that car with them, you are trapped in a more dangerous situation. By keeping the car between you, you have a large, strong barrier and you can always run from there. You will also want to get that cell phone out right away and make a call to 911.

When using valet parking and you get your car back, always run a quick check to see if any important documents are missing, like registration or insurance cards. Documents that have your personal information on them. I would also recommend keeping those documents in the same envelope and have the envelope closed or marked in a very special way that only you know how it should look when you close it. If the mark is off or the rubber band isn’t correct etc then you know it has been tampered with. You can immediately get a manager and handle it on the spot rather than letting too much time pass which gives the bad guy more opportunity for identity theft.

When you arrive at a location, especially if it is dark or somewhat secluded, check to see if they have valet parking. If it is a matter of parking far away, walking through the parking lot where there is potential danger or valet parking, pull up front and valet park. There is no reason to save a few dollars when that puts you at a greater risk of an assault. I say spend the extra money because you are worth every penny.