II – Aware – Page 9

Protect Yourself from a Carjacking

Photo by Bastian Pudill on Unsplash Your wallet isn’t the only item criminals want to steal. Your car appeals to them too. Be prepared.

Read news articles about carjackings and mentally imagine what you would do in each situation
More than one person or a group generally commit these violent carjacking thefts.
Know your route. Avoid driving in unfamiliar neighborhoods.
Keep alert while your vehicle is moving and while it is idling
Carjacking most often occurs in transitional spaces such as parking lots and gas stations.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Active Self Protection Self-Defense Checklists and Acronyms ]

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Self-Defense Tactical Driving Tips ]

Fuel your vehicle only during the day at gas stations in well traveled areas. Scan the gas station for suspicious behavior or loitering before you select a pump. While fueling, keep your car locked and keep scanning your surroundings to be prepared to take action (e.g., use the gas nozzle as a jet stream) should a vehicle or person approach you in a threatening manner.
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By semperverus
Posted on 11/10/202209/01/2024
4 Comments on Protect Yourself from a Carjacking

Self-Defense Tactical Driving Tips

Image of two hands on a car steering wheel Since the early 1960s the phrase “Drive Defensively” has been taught in driver education courses across America. It means the skill to drive a vehicle safely despite any conditions you encounter and the actions of others. In a typical defensive driving course, students learn crucial crash prevention techniques that include:

Scanning the roadway ahead and adapting accordingly to your surroundings
Expecting the unexpected
Being alert and distraction free
Employing the two-second rule for following distances
Knowing your vehicle’s stopping distance
Being aware of reaction distance
Looking through a turn to know what you’ll encounter
Preparing for environment hazards and vehicle emergencies
Driving with the commitment to be the safest driver on the road

[ Read the SemperVerus article, A Simple Chart for Situational Awareness ]

Self-defense tactical driving takes the concept further, putting a motor behind the everyday proficiency of situational awareness. As always, distance is your self-defense friend. The greater the distance from a threat, the more time you have to avoid or prepare for it. Here are a few practical ways to defend yourself in your vehicle:

Defending Yourself Against Mobs and Riots

What would your immediate reactions be if you found yourself suddenly surrounded by a large crowd of people who are disorderly, loud, angry, and intent on causing trouble and violence? Mobs and riots happen; sometimes with planning and sometimes without warning. As SemperVerus believes, it’s best to be ready in such situations.

What follows is a bullet point compilation of key ideas taken from several self-defense sources. Click the source links to read the articles in full.

[ Read the SemperVerus article, Why Use and How to Choose Pepper Spray ]

■ Active Response Training: Surviving the Mob

Be aware of your surroundings and have a plan to stay one step ahead of possible mob formation.
Resist the urge to stand around and watch the mob’s display.
Always have an evacuation plan for every location you visit.
Make sure your children know how to escape crowd violence.
Wear shoes (and other clothing) that facilitate the ability to run if necessary.
When attending any large public event, you and all of your family members should establish at least two emergency meeting locations: one within the event perimeter and one outside the event.
Equip your children with spare car keys, even if they can’t drive. A natural meeting place is the family car and you’ll want your children to be able to seek shelter inside the car if you haven’t yet arrived.
Consider carrying and using small impact weapons or pepper spray (OC) for most threats.

Read many more excellent articles on how to survive a mob written by retired police officer Greg Ellifritz of Active Response Training.

Live Life Left of Bang

The principle of situational awareness is taken to a deeper level in the book Left of Bang: How the Marine Corps’ Combat Hunter Program Can Save Your Life. Written for the US Marine Corps, the concept is just as applicable for everyone to apply for civilian self-defense against personal threats.

[ Read SemperVerus articles on the topic of being Aware ]

We encourage you to read the entire book and visit its website. In the meantime, here are a few lessons from it: