Personal Safety Tips for Walking in Parking Lots
Personal safety remains an essential part of our survival. Becoming aware of how to remain safe, we can ensure we’re safe from personal harm. Parking lots often present large open spaces which appear to suggest many dark unprotected areas. However the following tips will increase your personal protection.
Remain in well lit areas as you walk to your car. Use available streetlights or parking lot lights to illuminate your path.
Keep your senses alert by listening or viewing all sounds. Try to focus on the position of the person while trying to understand what they doing or who the sound belongs too. Humans have highly effective positional hearing combined with sight, so take advantage of your natural abilities.
Take note of the position of CCTV (closed circuit television cameras) making sure you’re positioned so they can see you. In the unlikely event of anything happening, a controller will spot your problems.
Have your car keys ready so you do not waste time when you get to your car looking for your keys. It’s always a good idea to have a panic alarm attached to your key ring too. A key’s also a good deterrent weapon, if the unlikely event of an attack, its sharp edges can help protect you. The eyes remain a weak point to sharp objects.
Plan ahead so park your car in an obviously safe place, away from hedges, bushes, and underpasses. Wherever possible park your car directly under an available street light. This will help protect you when you return later on in the evening.
Keep aware of other people while noting their behaviour and movements. If they’re loitering or look suspicious, alert the authorities. It’s always better to remain safe than sorry.
Walk with confidence. Surprisingly, a strong confident walk projects the image that you're capable of looking after your-self wile remaining familiar with the territory. A weak scared walk will project to other people that you’re already afraid, and therefore a potentially easy victim.
Carry a small LED torch for any areas of potential darkness. Small LED torches remain easily affordable. They also last an extremely long time. If the parking lot’s dark, allow your eyes to become dark-adjusted before trying to navigate to your car. Dark-adjusted eyes can see far more effectively than eyes that have just entered darkness.
When you have unlocked your car instantly think of your safety. Once inside lock the doors immediately to protect you from outside intruders.
If the area’s notorious for anti-social or criminal behaviour, ask a colleague or an associate if they would escort you to the safety of your car.
The risk of personal attack remains fortunately very small. However becoming aware of how you need to behave you can remain far safer than before. Protect yourself by using small devices such as the LED torch. Think ahead, while using lights ad CCTV for your protection. Be confident, while showing awareness for hose around you. Be safe while using your common sense.
