Self Defence For Women & Girls | Techniques Tips for Cabs Cars

Cars and vehicles of all types can be one of the most problematic situations for the unprepared woman. There are many potential problems surrounding getting into the car, allowing someone else to get into your car, or when you are attacked in your car.

Being prepared for these situations is extremely important because, unlike other situations, you are in a confined area and are less likely to be able to get away without being prepared from the start.

The good news is that there are many ways that you can get around and get out of problem situations in this type of environment. Again, you need to be prepared by imagining yourself in these situations and practicing how you will get out of them. Defend Yourself as Though You Were Taking Self Defence Classes for Women

Look For Others When Getting On A Bus

Whenever you are using public transportation, such as a bus, you need to be prepared. The best route to take to do this is to actually board the bus where there are other people.

For example, if you are getting on the bus in a remote area, there could be someone lurking nearby.

But, if you were to walk a block down where there is a more trafficked area, you are less likely to find yourself the victim. This is based on the fact that there is safety in numbers. When you have other people around you, you are less likely to fall victim in these situations.

Use a bus stop or other type of public transportation methods that are busier than those that are not. Get on them when there is a group of people getting on with you. That way, you know that an attacker is less likely to target you because there are too many around. The Need to Practice Self Defense For Women

Sit On the Aisle On The Bus

When you are getting onto the bus, stop and look for an aisle seat. This will allow you several key benefits. First, you can easily get out of the way if someone that you would rather not be near approaches you.

You can also be in a better position to protect yourself if the attacker decides to sit near you. If you are on the window seat, you are likely to be blocked in. He can easily sit down near you, do what he wants and you have virtually no way of moving to get out of the way.

Always choose the easiest route to get out of in order to protect yourself! Women Self defence| Using Your Environment to Defend Yourself

On the bus, especially when you are alone or with a group of people that may be with your attacker, being able to get away or get the attention of the driver can be difficult if you are pinned to the back of the bus or some place where you can easily be hid.

Sit Near the Front

If you are on a bus, always sit as near as you can to the exit or by the driver. Sitting behind the driver is an ideal place if you have easy access to getting out of the bus.

It can be a problem if the bus driver can not see you or if there is a lot of room between you and the bus exit. In this case, sit next to the exit door just opposite the bus driver. This way, in an emergency, you have the quickest route out of the bus and it is much more likely that the bus driver will hear you call for help should someone approach you.

It is also likely that the assailant will not bother with you, because someone else on the bus is likely to be a better, more successful target to them. This is a very important yet frustration situation for many people, but you have to protect you first!

On Train and Railways, Sit With Others

When you are riding subways, trains or other such situations where you can get into various types of sitting areas, always look for the location that offers other people like yourself.

For example, if you are boarding a subway car after work, get in the compartment with others that seem to be doing the same thing. You do not want to be the only person in a car with just a few men or even just one man. Learning Self Defense for Women is Vital These days

Again, company helps protect you from an assailant's possible attack. One thing to remember here is just how easy it can be to forget that you are in the position you are in. If you do the same thing every single day, you may not even realize that no one else is in that compartment with you.

It is also important to realize that the same route home during later hours may not be as crowded and therefore it may not be the best place for you to go to get home. After dark or when there is too little of a crowd, find an alternative means of transportation or ride with someone that you know.

Be Careful When Getting Out Of Your Car

No matter what time of the day or night it is, it is very important to be aware of your surroundings when you are getting out of your car.

When you are getting into or out of your car, pay attention to the surroundings. What numbers of other people are around you? Can you be protected by enough light and crowds?

Even in areas where you think that there are a lot of people, for example a shopping parking lot, you are likely not to be in all that safe of a situation. Each year, many women are taken right out of a shopping mall parking lot, even though there are cars and cars around them.

How does this happen? It is easy to force a woman into a car when she has already opened the door and is getting into it. No one is likely to hear her or see what is happening.

For this reason, it is very important for you to pay close attention to your surroundings when walking to your car. You should park as close to the doors to the location as you can and be sure to have your full attention on what is happening around you.

Other problem areas where you need to be careful getting into and out of your car include your home, your place of work or other locations where you are virtually alone.

Have Keys Ready When Approaching Car

As you leave the location you are at, you want to walk out of the door with your keys in hand and ready to go. First off, if you wait until you have gotten to the door of your car to shuffle around in your purse to find your keys, you have given the potential attacker the ability and time to come up from behind you to attack and you have no idea he is there.

For this reason, stop inside the door, wait until you have your keys in hand and then leave the building. Basic Self Defense Education for Women

In addition to doing this, you also want to be ready with the keys in a defensive position. If you hold the keys in your hand, close your fist around them. Each of your keys on your key ring is a weapon that you have. Each key should be individually placed between your fingers. This way, you have a very deadly weapon in your hand ready to strike at any given time to anyone that approaches you. Self Defense Tips for Women & Success Stories

Carry your keys like this anytime that you are moving from your car to your destination and then back to the destination again. It will protect you from many negative situations that could arise.

Keep Your Doors Locked

On today's newer cars, this is not a problem. There are several things you want to do here to protect yourself. First, be sure that when you get into a car, you get in quickly and shut the door behind you. Second, be sure that when you get in, you lock the doors to the entire car. This means that fewer people are able to get in.

When you are getting into the car, only open the driver's side door, instead of unlocking all car doors. You do not want anyone to get into the car with you through another door. Fight or Flight & More Strategies To Learn Self Defense for Women

Now that you are in the car and driving, be aware of intersections. Keep your passenger windows up so that no one can reach into the vehicle when you stop at an intersection. Also, keep the passenger doors locked. There is no reason for any door to be unlocked as in most new cars you can get out of a locked door from the inside, but you can not get into that door from the outside.

In older model cars, on the other hand, this may not be the case. For this reason, you want to keep yourself aware, drive with passenger windows and doors up, but do leave your own door unlocked. This can help you to protect yourself in case of an accident. You can still get out of the car.

Approach Your Car with Care

One of the most likely locations for someone to attack you is in your car. It does not have to be hard to get into a car and for that reason you should never assume that your car is so safe that someone can't be lurking inside it.

As you walk to your car, pay attention. Notice what is happening around you, of course, but around your car as well. If you notice that something is wrong with your car or you notice someone around the car itself, walk back into the store, ask for security help or call the police. Do not approach your car alone.

One problem that often can happen is when you approach your car only to find that someone is hiding behind the seat of your car or is otherwise in the car. You may even approach your car to find someone that is pointing a knife or a gun at you from inside your car. Defend Yourself as Though You Were Taking Self Defence Classes for Women

If this happens to you, do not get into that car! Run as far from the car as you can and scream as you do it. Ask for others to call 911. Run in a jagged line so that you are less likely to be hit by a bullet should one come at you.

The attacker is very unlike to pursue you. Instead, he is likely to flee realizing that you are now in the position to identify him. If you get into the car, there is very little chance of getting out of this situation. Never get into the car!

Don't Leave the Car Unlocked

Stopping for gas is one of the most often times that people do this. They leave the car unlocked just because they will be gone for only "30 seconds!" The problem here is that anyone can get into the car as you have your back to it. You get back in the car, they put a knife to your throat and you are not in a very dangerous situation.

Instead, plan to be safe by keeping the doors always locked on your vehicle. In addition, never leave your car running while you pick up the mail, drop off your child or in any other situation. It is very likely that someone will get into the car and take off with it (even if there are children in the car!)

Don't Pull the Car Over

If you are driving along on your way home and someone pulls next to you to tell you to pull over because you have a flat tire, be cautious. This is a prime way to get you alone and vulnerable and it may not even be true!

What you need to do instead is to pull over only onto a busy street or a location where you can see other people. If you pull over on the side of the road, especially where there are few people, he can easily pull up behind you, pretending to want to help and attack you.

Always continue as far as you can before stopping to make sure that you are in a well lit, safe location before getting out of the car. In many cars, when a tire has a flat, it will signal this to you, in which case you know you should pull over. If you do not have that advantage, you will want to pull to the side of the road and call for help.

Avoid Dark Parking Lots

You went shopping and without realizing it, it got pretty dark outside. This can be a real problem for many people as darkness can descend very quickly in the winter time especially. But, do not be afraid to ask for help.

Most retailers have extra people on hand during these hours because of security reasons. This is why you can easily call on them to help escort you to your car. In many cases, this is no problem at all and they are more than willing to do so.

If you are in a rougher neighborhood and just do not feel safe, and no one can help you, do call the police and ask for an escort from them. They are committed to helping to protect you from unwanted attackers!

Be Careful With Taxi Drivers

You are getting into a car with a taxi driver. You are the only other person in the car with this person. It is very easy for him to take advantage of you. For this reason, be very cautious when using a taxi service of any type. The Need to Practice Self Defense For Women

When you approach a taxi to get in to it, stop and ask the driver for his identification. Most of the time, this is actually displayed on the visor or near the mirror. Look at the identification and the driver. Do they match? If not, do not drive in the taxi with the person.

Be wary of any taxi driver that does not feel right or that you simple do not like. This could be someone that your body is reacting to. Remember to listen to your body!

Call the Taxi

You have two choices when you need to use a taxi. You can go outdoors in a busy city and wave down a taxi to take you where you want and need to go. Or, you can call on them from their hub.

If you want to be safe, the best thing to do is to call the taxi company directly, ask for a taxi and then wait for it.

If you do approach a taxi by just waving him down, there is no record nor is there any way to know who is actually approaching you. On the other hand, if you were to actually call the station, ask for a cab and then wait for it to come and pick you up, there is now a record of who is picking you up and when.

This may seem to be an inconvenience and a time waster. But, the element of safety is something that you do need to pay close attention to. Realize that you must take whatever precautions are necessary to protect yourself if you are to survive and avoid a negative situation! Inconvenient or not, it is the best way to protect yourself!

Be Careful Where You Sit

When you get into a taxi, you are at the hands of the person that is driving you. Good or bad, this is the very scary truth. Most cabs and taxis will have measures taken to insure that you are protected such as a locking system that allows you to get out of the unit whenever you want to.

Some do have central locking systems which you need to be aware of. Again, keeping your cool is important just as being able to notice what is happening around you. By doing this it will ultimately help to protect you.

It is also important to notice where you sit. Do not get into the cab on your own and sit behind the driver. He is now easily able to reach behind and lock the door. This means that you can not get out of the vehicle and he can take you wherever he wants.

Instead, sit on the passenger side of the car. Always keep yourself aware of where you are going, what he is doing and what is happening around you. If you notice that you are going the wrong way, ask him about this. Do not assume that it's just a short cut. The sooner you know that there is a problem, the easier it will be for you to get out and get into a safe situation.

Beware Of Cars Following You

If you are walking or perhaps even have had to walk to a phone because your car broke down, be well aware of what is happening. Walk in opposite direction of traffic. When you do this, you provide yourself with the additional benefit of being able to see what is coming at you rather than to have someone or something approach you from behind.

This is particularly important when you are on a dark street or on a freeway at night time when it can be hard to hear someone approaching from behind.

Cars often will approach a woman walking along the side of the street, open the door, grab her and pull her in. Within a matter of minutes, you are gone and there is no trail left to help you.

If you walk against traffic, though, the car would be coming at you, you could see it, run or get out of the way, before it got anywhere near to where you are. This keeps you out of harm's way more often than not.

Jogging and Car Safety Is A Must

One of the many times when a person is out on the road in a potentially dangerous situation is when they are jogging. Let's say that your plan is to get up early in the morning and get a run in before you have to leave for work. Self Defense Techniques for Women

You wake up before dawn, get dressed and head out. As you are running you commit your first mistake. You have on a walkman or an MP3 player which means that you can not hear what is happening around you. This drops your level of alertness and capabilities of protecting yourself from dangerous situations.

Now, you are at risk in a number of ways. What you do not notice is the car that is shadowing you. This car is coming up behind you, following you down the path and you have no idea that they are even there.

If you were paying attention, though, you would know exactly what to do and what you need to react to. For example, you would have heard the car approach and turned to see that they were indeed shadowing you. You can know react in the right manner, before the driver even has the time to do anything to you.

To react in the proper way in this situation, turn your body around and run back into the direction that you came from, avoiding the passenger doors of the car. This way, if the attacker does want to come after you using his car, he has to turn the car around and then pursue you. That takes time and enough time for you to get out of there. Women Self defence| Using Your Environment to Defend Yourself

If the person gets out of the car, use the methods we've described for hurting them so that you can then get out of the potential problem. Get as far away from the car as you can because stepping foot inside of it means that you are likely not to come back out safely.

Never Be Too Routine

A big mistake that people make when it comes to jogging or even going to work; is being routine about it. If you follow the same path every day, you are more likely to become a target. Attackers often take the time to stalk their victims until they can actually know what you are going to do next, even if you do not realize that is what you are doing.

In the case of the jogger, you want to be sure to go different routes that are well lit and whenever possible, have houses on them of people that you know. These are called safe houses or locations where you are likely to get help if you need it. If you do not know anyone, then do plan to meet them or at least take note of homes where there are other women, children or families living where you are likely to be protected in situations.

Not following a routine can help you to be someone that is not an easy target which means you are more likely to remain safe throughout your jog or your trip. Do this with your car, too!

When it comes to vehicles, you are very much likely to be attacked if and when you are alone. Cars are very dangerous in all forms and it is up to you to protect yourself from these situations.