Outdoor Safety
Facing Danger

Enhance your Outdoor Safety when facing danger.

"Elderly people obviously present less of a physical threat, but they are also often made vulnerable by their reliance on routine. Criminals will often watch their victims for days before striking and, the more settled your routine, the easier it is for them to attack," forensic psychologist Mark Welman said. ... Not wanting to be rude often left elderly people vulnerable to violent crime. It is better to experience mild guilt at driving away from a potentially legitimate request for help or not opening the door than being attacked," he said. Welman said criminals targeted people who gave the "appearance of victimhood.”
Excerpted from The Cape Argus (Cape Town SA) – 19 October 2004

Victims often say, "I never saw him coming." Keep your head up and calmly aware of outdoor safety. Make solid eye contact momentarily and don’t look down submissively. A deadpan poker face (an “iron face”) conveys confidence. Perhaps stick one hand ominously into a pocket as though you have a weapon ready. Better yet, hold pepper spray chest-high, visible, and ready for action. See Pepper Spray.

Some street-wise women “walk like a man” for outdoor safety – back straight, head and shoulders back, sending the message: “Don't mess with me.” Project a sincere willingness to hurt him. See Optimal Mindset.

As a street-kid, though sometimes trembling inside, I learned to act tough for outdoor safety and saved my butt many times. It’s all acting – the way frogs puff up, cats arch and hiss, and dogs bare their teeth and growl. Pretend to be tough – and be truly ready to become pit-bull-like if you must. Project a tough attitude to help ward off a predator as well as help motivate you to fight for your life like a mad dog if you must.

For outdoor safety, don't turn your back on anyone you don’t trust – that invites an attack you won’t see coming. If he begins to approach you, take an aggressive stance, put one hand in a pocket as though you have a weapon ready, raise your other hand in a “STOP!” gesture, and fiercely command him to "Stay away from me!"

Better yet for outdoor safety, also hold pepper spray and a noisemaker visible and at the ready. See Pepper Spray & Devices for sources.

If he keeps moving toward you – that's your early-warning-sign that he's probably a predator – either flee or activate your noisemaker and use your pepper spray.

"Fight or flight” are the two most well known options. Martial arts' theory usually adds surrender to the mix. I’ve added two more Outdoor Safety options: outsmart and posture, and aligned them all with FBI guidelines (and clarified their clunky terminology):

1.Posturing: presenting yourself as a tough target (predators prefer easy prey). If that doesn’t work:
2.Fleeing, the most obvious choice, might not be possible. If not:
3.Outsmarting: by verbally defusing a confrontation and maneuvering toward escape. If that doesn’t work:
4.Surrendering and hoping for the best; or preferably as a prelude to an escape, perhaps aided by:
5.Fighting like a mad dog to enable your escape. Stun & run.

It’s impossible to fully anticipate the panicky chaos of a sudden threat forcing you to make split-second outdoor safety decisions. Nonetheless, understanding your options now will help your Intuition choose an option then.

Enhancing Your Options
Pepper Spray & a Noisemaker visibly ready will greatly enhance your first option – Posturing as a tough target – and probably deter a predator immediately. Your fifth option – Fighting – is enhanced as well.

Walking to his car with a handgun to his back, Ali Irfan made a decision police say may have saved his life - he decided not to comply with his attacker. ... Traditionally, the outdoor safety advice always has been to go along with what a robber asks - particularly an armed one. But many crime-prevention advocates are re-thinking this advice for outdoor safety. "The new position evolving is that each individual should evaluate the particular circumstances and make a judgement," police said. ... If a robber just wants valuables, it's probably best to comply. But if the attacker might drive off or lock themselves in with a victim, or something more than property is at stake, the right move may be to try to escape. ... Mr. Irfan had already told the gunman he didn't have any money but the robber wouldn't listen and told him to go to his car and open the door. Then Mr. Irfan pushed the panic button on his vehicle's key chain remote, and the robber fled. ... The use of the car alarm was an "excellent choice" for outdoor safety, police said. And while it may not always be so, it turned out to be the right course of action. In this case, the concern comes to mind - what would have happened if the victim had complied?" Would he have been abducted and carjacked? Quite possibly from the looks of it.
Excerpted from The Capital (Annapolis MD) – 17 January 2007

Nicole duFresne and her fiancé Jeffrey Sparks and another couple were walking on the sidewalk. "These two guys ducked out of an alcove. One of them said, 'Give me your money.' I didn't see he had a gun. I didn't understand what was happening. I pushed him aside. "When I did that, he hit me with the gun, using both hands, " Mr. Sparks said. ... "Nicole was asking me if I was all right," he said. The other robber stepped forward and apologized, Mr. Sparks said. "He's like, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, it doesn't have to be like this, we just need some money.' I said, 'Come on, let's just go,' and started to walk down the sidewalk. I thought Nicole was behind me, but she wasn't. ... "They must have grabbed for the other woman's purse," he said. When Ms. duFresne confronted the attackers, she asked the men, "What are you going to do, shoot us next?" ... "I don't know if she was going off on the guy or what," Mr. Sparks said. "I heard one shot. Nicole was lying on the street on her back. It hit her about two inches away from the heart. I think it pretty much knocked her out instantly. Her eyes were open. She knew when I was there. She could hear me. I could feel her trying, but she gave me this look that let me know that she just couldn't."
Excepted from The New York Times – 28 January 2005

After leaving a wedding, four guests were attacked by robbers who shot one to death. The two men and two women were given little time to comply before one assailant began pistol-whipping them. Then one man threw his money at the assailants. Police believe that this sudden action might have prompted the gunfire.
Excerpted from The Washington Post – 15 November 2004

If confronted by a predator, your outdoor safety options are Posturing, Fleeing, Outsmarting, Surrendering, or Fighting. In a robbery, avoid eye contact, and do not fight for your money. Say you are reaching for your money – then move slowly! Robberies are usually spontaneous and unpredictable. Most robbers are high-strung drug addicts anxious to avoid arrest, so give up your money without stalling or spooking them.

A woman was dragged from a car after two women tried to steal her purse. The woman was walking home when she noticed a car pull up alongside her. Two teenage girls got out and began following her. ... She turned around and asked them if they were following her. One of the teens walked up to her and grabbed the strap of the purse. The woman fought back and a "violent struggle" ensued, police said. ... As the struggle continued, the other teen approached and kicked her four times in the side. Then the car pulled up. One teen got into the right rear passenger seat, while the other got into the front passenger seat – still holding on to the purse. The passenger door was left open as the car pulled away, dragging the victim 10 feet before she let go of the purse.
Excerpted from The Contra Costa Times (CA) – 02 May 2003

Gertrude Nadel had just left a store when a van pulled up next to her, police said. The driver called Nadel over and began talking to her before grabbing her purse. When witnesses saw the commotion and approached the car, he pulled away, dragging Nadel several feet before she fell to the pavement. She died from serious head injuries.
Excerpted from a ClickOn10-TV Miami report – 10 October 2003

A woman was shot in her own driveway after she refused to give her purse to a robber. The woman was loading clothes into her car when a man approached her and demanded her purse. When she refused, he pulled out a gun, shot her in the stomach and took off with her handbag.
Excerpted from KTVZ-TV21 Salem OR – 29 March 2007

• For outdoor safety, clutch your purse the way a football player carries a football. Hug it to your ribs with one arm – away from the curb to avoid drive-by grabs. If a purse-snatcher grabs it, give it up, then yell for help as you run to safety. Do not risk injury by fighting for your purse.
• Keep your keys in a pocket so you won’t lose them along with your name and address in your purse.
• Put a dummy wallet (with bogus credit cards and a wad of small bills) in your purse. Then put your valuables in stash clothing (such as a money belt) at www.magellans.com.

A woman said a man pointed a gun at her in the parking lot of a restaurant and ordered her into his vehicle, but she ran into the business and called 911.
Excerpted from The State (SC) – 14 March 2006

The petite schoolteacher felt a sense of dread when a man put a knife to her throat in a parking garage. "My state of mind was that there is no way I'm going to be driving off with this guy," said the 5-foot-2, 112-pound woman. "I thought I had better chances getting stabbed in the garage than getting in the car with him." ... She was getting into her car when the man came up to her, put the knife to her throat and told her to get in the car. The woman pushed the knife away, but he put it back. "I said, 'No,' and I pushed him away. He yelled at me again, 'Get in the car. I want your money."' The woman said she shoved her purse at him, and ran for help. ... A car pulled into the space next to hers, she ran to it, pounded on the window at the man inside and screamed for him to call 911. "He thought I was having an argument with my husband," she said. The man got out of his car to call police on his cellphone, while the suspect jumped into her car and sped out of the garage. ... Her thoughts were, "I had to get out. There was no way I was getting in that car with him. There is a dread that comes over you, but I knew I had to stay in control." The woman reacted just as the police recommend.
Excerpted from The Denver Post – 10 December 2003

She was walking home when a motorist drove up to her and asked her for directions, and drove on. As she continued to walk, she still noticed the car "kind of creeping" along side streets, she said. When she reached the top of a hill, she said the car was right in front of her. The passenger window was down. He pointed a gun at her and ordered her to get in his car. "I took off running, and thought 'I'd rather get shot than get in the car'", she said.
Excerpted from The Oregonian – 26 February 2004

Never go with a kidnapper – it’s far too dangerous! React immediately! Either run, or if physically impaired, sit down and make him drag you away.

On the other hand, not all kidnappers kill…

Antonio Pope confessed to abducting and raping a UW student November 29 as she was walking home. Pope also confessed to the December 9 abduction and rape of another UW student who’d been talking on her cell phone as she was walking home when Pope ambushed her. ... Pope abducted both women at knifepoint, threatening to kill them if they turned around to look at his face. He took them to his car, bound their hands and drove them to his apartment where he assaulted them. Pope then dropped the victims off in the area where he initially confronted them.
Excerpted from The Daily Badger Herald – University of Wisconsin, Madison – 19 January 2007

Not all kidnappings result in harm (beyond rape), but most do. You have fewer options at a second crime scene and are fully at the mercy of a violent criminal. See Victim’s Options, Kidnapping, and Fighting Strategies for full outdoor safety details.

Carry pepper-spray, a noisemaker alarm, and a wad of small bills for outdoor safety. Tell a robber that you're reaching slowly for your money. Give him the money then instantly run toward safety as you sound your alarm (with pepper-spray in hand in case he chases you). See Pepper Spray & Devices.

It’s impossible to fully anticipate the panicky chaos of a sudden threat forcing you to make split-second life-and-death decisions. Nonetheless, understanding your options now will help your Intuition choose an option then.

For convenience, learn self-defense ONLINE:

KRAV MAGA, a practical self-defense system used by many police forces worldwide, teaches you to defend yourself, enhances your survival instinct, and can be applied under extreme stress. It's not flashy, just very effective. I highly recommend it. The Krav Maga TV - Online Training videos are especially convenient to learn at home when your schedule allows or if you don't live near a training center.

Find Outdoor Safety for parking lots, city streets, suburban byways, country roads, and secluded paths by going to:
• Outdoor Safety - Overview
• Friendly Predators first try to get near you to isolate and trap you, then attack you. Never forget that and you’ll never fall for a stranger’s lure.
• Force Predators: ambush zones revealed.
• Predator’s Favorite Targets: how not to be one.
• Spotting Danger ahead of time, and sensing if someone is about to draw a weapon - and what to do before it's too late.
• Facing Danger (YOU’RE NOW ON THIS PAGE): if you're already targeted in a robbery, purse snatching, rape or kidnapping attack, choose among the five outdoor safety options: Posturing, Fleeing, Outsmarting, Surrendering, or Fighting.
• Rescuing a Victim Safely: how best to be a hero.
• Dog Attack: facing an attack on you or a loved one.
• Pickpockets: stopping masterful thieves from stealing you blind.
• Recap of this section.
• Pepper Spray & Devices for Outdoor Safety.

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