When setting up your GPS system in your car, especially if portable, DO NOT enter your actual home address in the HOME area. Enter an address that is a few blocks away. This is because if someone breaks in to your vehicle and steals your GPS, they will also take your garage opener (if you have one) and have instant directions to your home. If you are traveling they can find your home as well and you would never suspect who it is because you are traveling and it could be any one of millions of people. Of course you know where you live so make sure to just put in an address that is close to home because all you need the GPS to do is get you to the general area.

If an unmarked police car tried to pull you over, DO NOT PULL OVER. Please immediately dial *77 (United States-don’t know about other countries). This is a cell phone feature that is a direct link to State Trooper information. I know you may feel like a criminal not pulling over, but especially for a woman alone in a car, you should not pull over for an unmarked car. Apparently police have to respect your right to keep going to a safe place. This applies to ALL 50 states!

When putting your new registration sticker on to your license plate, make sure to take a knife and make diamond cuts through the sticker after it is placed. on your license plate. This prevents someone from peeling your sticker off and using it on their car. Although this may sound silly, you would be surprised how many people try to avoid paying a registration renewal and if Law Enforcement sees the correct year and month, non-expired of course, they would never know.

When your children are arriving home on a bus, do your best to meet them at the drop off point or have someone you both know and trust meet them, like a big brother or sister. It would be ideal if they didn't get off the bus alone or with no one waiting. A bad guy could watch the routine and pick up on this and then create a story for the child like “your mommy said to drive you home….”

When your child goes to a bus stop, do not let them go alone or wait alone. Either go with them to ensure they get there, wait with them until bus shows up or at least wait with them until other children show up or other parents. Leaving your child alone at a bus stop or alone to get to and from one is very risky and makes your child a very high target.

Make sure to familiarize yourself with the trunk of your car and the release mechanisms that are a part of it. Look for an emergency trunk release switch inside the trunk. Usually such a switch will glow in the dark. If your car is not equipped with one in the trunk, ask your spouse or a friend to pull the trunk release switch from the driver’s seat and you should look for the cable and the latch that move when the release is being pulled. Also, keep a flashlight in your trunk. It is important to familiarize yourself with your vehicle in case you get pushed in while you are loading or unloading your trunk or just forced to get in.

When parking on the street, always park as close to a streetlight as possible. You want to keep your car in as well lit a location as possible. This attracts more attention to your car and reduces the chance that a criminal will take at the risk of being seen by someone. Lighting is always a great thing to have on your side, especially in public places.

If you travel, always let someone know your flight itinerary and hotel information. It is very important for someone close to you to be aware of your schedule, especially if it involves leaving the city, state or country. There is no harm in letting a few close friends/relatives of your schedule related to the trip and the contact information.

If you commute to work by way of a train, do your best to travel during rush hour so there are more people around. Remember that there is always safety in numbers. Always let someone know what time train you are taking and if you are going to miss that train, be sure to call and let that person know. If someone is able to, have him or her either pick you up at the station or wait outside the home when the taxi drops you off. If you left your car at the station and are driving it home, be sure to park as close to the where everyone comes off of the train as possible.

Make sure that when you open your car door or the door to a rental car that the dome lights go on. You can adjust the light switch in your roof so that when the car door opens, the dome light illuminates which is important, especially in a car that is not your own and you are not familiar with. This is so that you can see what is in your car when you go to step in and it also attracts attention to your car when you open it at night. It is always better to be able to see then not too.