Awareness
- The Key to Personal Safety
By Bryan Robinson
There are many products on the market today that can be carried
for personal protection. From stun guns to pepper spray to
personal alarms, these items are made compact enough to carry
on your keychain or in a purse. And if used properly, they
can be a huge factor in prevention of crimes against people.
However, there is one tool that we all possess that can be
detrimental to one's safety, and that tool is Awareness. How
many times have you found yourself running errands, in a hurry,
and you virtually had 'tunnel-vision'? Unaware of everything
going on around you except what you were doing at the time.
A friend of mine was out of town last year and his wife,
who was eight months pregnant was out shopping. At 2:00 in
the afternoon in a newly developed shopping district, she
was leaving a crafts store, with her arms full of shopping
bags. While approaching her vehicle, a man drove up beside
her to ask for directions to a mall nearby. As she started
to reply, he reached out of his window and grabbed the purse
that was strapped over her shoulder. She was pulled down to
the ground and had to let go as he drove off with the purse
in his grasp. Fortunately she escaped serious injury and only
personal items were lost. The thief was probably a bit disappointed
when he discovered only three dollars cash in her purse. Since
she cancelled all her credit cards, $3 was all he got. At
the time of the incident, the woman who was robbed was not
carrying any self defense products (she is now of course).
But more importantly, she could have prevented the crime with
that tool called Awareness. Had she scanned the parking lot
as she proceeded to her vehicle, the suspicious man sitting
in his car would have been spotted. And simply making eye
contact with him may have dissuaded the purse snatcher, 'surprise'
being a thief's best weapon. In addition, by maintaining composure
enough to get a license plate number, she could have assisted
Police in apprehension of this cowardly criminal.
Stun guns, pepper spray, and personal alarms are excellent
products for self defense. They have saved many people from
catastrophe. If you carry one of these items, they should
be close by and ready to use. Carrying pepper spray in the
bottom of a purse would be of no help if it was needed at
a moment's notice. While these products can be very effective,
they must be used in conjunction with Awareness, otherwise
they can be rendered useless.
About the author:
Bryan Robinson is the owner of Safety Gear HQ self defense
products.
