Routine Maintenance: Service your vehicle regularly to prevent mechanical breakdowns.
Fuel Management: Never let your fuel level drop below a quarter ($1/4$) of a tank.
Emergency Kit: Always carry an emergency kit stocked with a cell phone, first aid supplies, flares, a flashlight, jumper cables, and a blanket.
Locking & Security: Keep your vehicle locked at all times. Consider using an anti-theft device like "The Club" or an alarm system.
Valuables Out of Sight: Keep all personal items and valuables covered, hidden, or locked in the trunk (including electronic accessories like CD players or cases).
Service Key Safety: When leaving your car at a shop for maintenance, remove all personal keys from the ring and only hand over the vehicle key.
Situational Awareness: Before leaving a store or your home, look outside to scan the surroundings and note activity around you.
Smart Parking Selection: Park in highly visible, well-lighted areas that will remain lit when you return. Avoid parking directly next to large vans or trucks that block your line of sight.
Keys Ready: Always have your vehicle keys out and ready in your hand as you approach so you can enter without delay.
Interior & Exterior Scan: Visually inspect the back seat and check around and underneath the vehicle before unlocking the doors or stepping inside.
Route Planning: Stick to well-traveled, well-lighted streets and avoid unfamiliar shortcuts. If you are unsure of your destination, get specific directions or look up a map before leaving.
If You Get Lost: Do not pull over immediately; keep driving until you find a well-lit, public area, and then call for assistance.
Cabin Security: Keep your doors locked, windows shut, and the vehicle in gear while stopped at intersections.
Maintain Escape Space: Leave at least one full car length of space between your vehicle and the car in front of you at intersections so you have an active path to escape if needed.
Mirrors & Surroundings: Check your rearview and side mirrors frequently to maintain total awareness of nearby traffic.
Travel Logs: Notify a family member or friend of your travel plans and expected arrival times when embarking on longer trips.
Hitchhikers: Never pick up hitchhikers or accept rides from strangers.
De-escalating Road Rage
- Mindset: Assume other drivers' mistakes are unintentional, not a personal attack. Understand you cannot control traffic behaviors, only your own reaction.
- Basic Courtesy: Always signal your lane changes, use high beams sparingly, and do not tailgate or block passing lanes.
- Avoid Eye Contact: Do not lock eyes with or respond to an aggressive or erratic driver.
- Keep Distance: Safely switch lanes or back off to distance your vehicle from aggressive drivers.
- No Gestures: Stay calm, breathe, and never make obscene hand gestures or use your horn aggressively.
If Followed: Never drive home if you suspect you are being followed. Drive directly to a well-lit public area, open business, police station, or fire department, and call the police.
Stalled Vehicle Protocol: If your vehicle breaks down, raise the hood and stay safely locked inside. If a stranger stops to help, do not open your door or roll down your window; speak through the glass, look for official identification if they claim to be uniformed, and ask them to call emergency services for you.
Assisting Others Safely: Beware of people who motion for you to stop and lend assistance. If you want to help a stranded motorist, do not pull over; instead, use your cell phone to call the police to their location.
"Bump and Rob" Scams: Beware of minor, intentional-feeling bumps from behind. If you suspect you were bumped on purpose, do not stop. Signal the other driver to follow you to a well-lit public area or the nearest police station to safely exchange information.
Deceptive Roadside Warnings: Use extreme caution if citizens shout, honk, or point at your car pretending something is mechanically wrong. Keep driving to a safe, lit space before stopping to inspect your vehicle.
Carjackings: If an armed criminal confronts you and demands your vehicle, give it up immediately. No vehicle or piece of property is worth risking your life or safety over.
Stop Selection: Avoid using isolated bus or train stops, especially during late-night hours when transit traffic is minimal.
Platform Safety: Stand well away from the street curb or train platform edge until the transit vehicle comes to a complete, final stop.
Proximity to Driver: Whenever possible, choose a seat near the driver or transit operator, and immediately report any disruptions.
Pickpocket Prevention: Crowded buses and trains are prime targets. Keep backpacks or purses completely closed and held closely against your body, and store your wallet in a secure front pocket.
Handling Harassment: If someone is bothering or harassing you, change seats immediately and tell them firmly in a loud, clear voice to "STAY AWAY."
Staying On Board: If you feel uncomfortable or see suspicious individuals waiting at your scheduled stop, remain safely on the transit vehicle until you reach a busier, more populated station.