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The No. 1 tactic is to pay attention to your feelings. If you feel uncomfortable in a situation, there is probably a good reason. Many crime victims report that they sensed something was wrong before they were attacked but did not heed those feelings and act on them. If you have any doubts about a situation, trust your instincts. And follow these other simple tips to increase your personal safety.

 

• Be street smart. Avoid walking alone at night or early in the morning. Stay away from dark alleys, areas without street lights or deserted areas. Know which neighborhoods may require extra precautions.
• Walk with confidence and awareness. In jailhouse interviews, muggers and rapists told researchers that they were less likely to attack confident-looking people who walk in an assertive manner. Attackers are looking for easy prey; they don't want to assault people who might put up a fight.
• Carry your keys in your leading hand (right if you are right-handed, left if left-handed). Position them so that when you hold your hand in a fist, one key sticks out between each finger. Be prepared to use the keys as a weapon for striking an assailant's eyes or throat.
• Fight and then run. If you are attacked, fight back until you see an opportunity to get away. Knee a male attacker in the groin, knees, eyes or throat. If you are carrying Mace™, pepper spray, tear gas or a stun gun use it and run. Even if the assailant has a gun you should run. The odds are against your getting shot. An attacker's bullet will hit you, a moving target, only four in 100 shots, and even in that extreme case, it's not likely to cause a life-threatening injury. (Even the police, shooting at close range during an actual crime, hit moving targets only four out of 10 shots.)
• Wear practical shoes that you can move in.
• Carry a cell phone. If you find yourself in an unsafe situation, you can instantly dial 911. Do not call a friend; the police will get there faster, and will be more effective in protecting you. Emergency-use-only cell phones are available for as low as $19 a month.
• Mark your assailant. If you are attacked, try to scratch the assailant with keys or fingernails. Any marks you leave may help identify him to the police.
• Don't risk your personal safety to help others. Don't walk over to a stopped car to help someone. Serial killer Ted Bundy caught all his victims this way.
• Be prepared to get hurt while protecting yourself. Remember that your chances of staying alive are better if you fight and run when first attacked rather than allowing the assailant to drag you into a car and take you elsewhere. If you are attacked you must be ready to suffer injury in order to remain alive, advises Pat Malone, a San Francisco-based bodyguard and expert in practical self-defense.
• Attract attention any way you can. If you are fighting but can't get away, try to attract attention. Scream and yell, but holler the word "fire" rather than "help" or "rape." This is more effective in attracting people's attention and causing them to call 911. Don't be afraid to damage property if that's the only way to attract attention. Throwing a rock through a store window or setting off a fire alarm will get authorities there quickly.

 

• Be alert for suspicious circumstances. For example, if a van is parked beside your car or if there's a man sitting in a parked car next to yours, consider asking a guard or policeman to escort you to your car.
• Approach your car from the passenger side. Attackers are expecting people who are alone to enter their cars from the driver's side. Someone lying in wait is less likely to be prepared for you to enter from the passenger side.
• Approach the car with your your keys out. Relock the door immediately after getting into the car.
• Keep the car windows rolled up. While driving, keep the windows high enough so no one can reach in to unlock the car door.
• Don't linger in your car. Sitting alone in your car makes you a very visible, vulnerable and easily cornered target. Lock the car when you get in and promptly drive away.
• Maintain your vehicle. Keep your car in good working order to avoid breakdowns.
• If you think you're being followed, take evasive action. Make several turns to verify your fear. If possible, note the follower's license plate number, car model and make. Dial 911 on your cell phone. Do not go home; instead, get on a main road, drive to a well-lit public place where there are people, and honk your horn to attract attention.
• As a last resort, climb under a car to avoid an attacker. Malone suggests practicing this maneuver until it's easy to do.

 

• Take an elevator instead of the stairs. Stairs are more dangerous when you are alone.
• Don't stand in the back of the elevator. Stand near the front, where you can get off easily if necessary.
• If someone suspicious-looking gets on, get off as soon as you can. And don't get into an elevator with anyone who makes you uneasy. This is an example of a time you should pay attention to your instincts.

 

• Use peepholes. Install peepholes in outside doors and use them before opening the door.
• Keep your doors locked with a deadbolt. When you're at home, leave the key in the door unless it has a window. In that case, put the key on a hook that's easily accessible but far enough away from the door so it can't be reached if someone breaks the window.
• Don't open the door to anyone you don't know. You can ask what the caller wants by shouting through the door. It is far better to appear rude than to be attacked.
• Don't hesitate to phone police if an unwanted caller won't leave. Also call the police if someone you don't know is sitting outside your home in a car.
• Keep your front steps and surrounding areas well lit. Consider installing motion-activated outside lights over your driveway, in the backyard and on the front porch.
• Keep bushes near the front door trimmed. If you keep them short, no one can hide behind them.
• Keep curtains closed at night.
• Get a home-safety assessment. Phone your police department to find out whether it offers a safety-assessment program in which an officer makes suggestions about how you can improve your home's safety measures.
• Get to know your neighbors. Consider setting up a Neighborhood Watch program.

 

• Stun guns. Police authorities have tested many of these guns and found them to be ineffective for civilian use. Stun guns can put a victim in even more danger because they are likely to enrage and further provoke attackers.
• Pepper spray (oleoresin capsicum). Pepper spray is an effective self-defense device when used correctly, though it may be more difficult to use in windy weather. If you decide to carry it, make sure you know how to use it. Use of pepper spray is legal in most states, but check with your police department about laws in your community and about training opportunities. The general public can buy pepper spray in 5 percent and 10 percent concentrations in many, but not all, states. Many police departments issue pepper spray for use by their officers in the same 10 percent concentration mixture available to the public.
• Chemical weapons (aerosol, stream, foam). Like pepper spray, chemicals may be more difficult to use in windy weather. They may also prove ineffective against drunken, drugged or mentally ill people who may be more impervious to these less potent cousins of pepper spray. They have a delayed effect and may take some time to affect the target. They can also backfire and affect you as well, and may be re-used against you by an attacker. Foam, for example, may be gathered up by an assailant and thrown back at you.
• Tear gas. Some forms of tear gas are sold commercially for self-defense. Like other pepper spray and other chemical weapons, tear gas may be effective if used properly. The gas should be sprayed in the assailant's nose and throat or directly into the eyes. It is considered by most safety experts to be less effective than pepper spray as a form of self defense.
• Noisemakers. Loud whistles and noisemakers may be effective in attracting attention, but don't use them before trying to get away. Run first and whistle later!
• Don't rely on these devices alone. Have some strategies and other techniques worked out in advance. Your attacker will plan ahead, so you should, too.