Keeping Safe--In The Car and Out

Recently there has been a lot of publicity surrounding the disappearance and subsequent deaths of Chelsea King and Amber Dubois, and the capture of  John Albert Gardner III in connection with their murders. Three commonalities will always join these two girls forever more in this heinous crime: they were teenagers, they were walking alone, they did not do anything to provoke their attacker.

Being in a seemingly safe, affluent area, as Chelsea King was, might give some a sense of security. But in reality, sadly, no one is safe anywhere, and our guard must not be dropped under any circumstance. It's a sad fact of our modern life. To be fair though, this has been true of any age. There have, and always will exist, people who, for whatever reason, want to do us harm.

There are various websites on the internet devoted to the subject of personal safety, offering valuable tips and classes that you can take to safeguard yourself and your family. A simple Google search will offer a plethora of helpful sites.

One of the core concepts of defensive driving that we at Alliance Defensive Driving School teach is S.I.P.D.E., which stands for Search, Identify, Predict, Determine, Execute. While this is often taught as part of driving defensively, the exact same concept could be used for walking...or jogging...or riding the bus. In other words, anywhere you happen to be in a public space; from an isolated wooded area to a bustling mall or crowded city street.

To illustrate how S.I.P.D.E. could be used as a pedestrian, let's imagine the following scenario:

You're walking along a busy street, aware of people around you, when you suddenly spot out of the corner of your eye someone possibly following you. You keep an eye on him, noticing that he is definitely following you. He is not going to stop following you, no matter what you do. You decide to go into the nearest store and call for help and you head for the store you're passing and call the authorities. Meanwhile you also let the store staff know about your concerns.

Search: For possible trouble

Identify: Person following you

Predict: By his actions, he looks like he will not stop following you

Determine: What you are going to do, i.e. duck into a store and call for help.

Execute: You go into the store and call for help.

Depending on where you are, the scenario would change slightly, but the principles of S.I.P.D.E. remain exactly the same, whether on foot or driving or on public transportation. That's the great thing about this simple acronym; remember it and it will carry you through any situation that you might find yourself in!

Whether in a car or on foot, please be safe out there! If you feel uncomfortable about a certain situation you find yourself in, heed your instinct and remove yourself from possible harm! If it turns out to be a false alarm, well, better to be embarrassed than to wind up in a hospital...or worse!

For more information about Alliance Defensive Driving School, please go to: http://www.thedriverguy.com/index.html

For more information regarding our Teen Program, please go to: http://www.thedriverguy.com/teens.html

For information about our online Driver's Ed. Program and prices, please go to: http://www.thedriverguy.com/online_driversed.html

Also be sure to read our other blogs: The Driver Guy and The Highway for more great info and tips!