Situational Awareness Tip For Nighttime Parking Lot
Animals (and 2-legged criminals) are creatures of opportunity. They will more than likely attack another if they look or are perceived to be vulnerable.
Criminals will more likely target a person who looks vulnerable. The potential victim might appear to be physically weaker or the victim might be in ‘condition white’ (oblivious) instead of ‘condition yellow’ (attentive to surroundings) and therefore be very easy to catch off guard.
If you practice situational awareness, it will significantly keep you from looking like easy prey or an easy target. Simply by walking with good posture, looking alert, and being confident will thwart nearly any potential criminal (who will move on to easier prey).
That said, here is one simple but very effective tip to deter a criminal while walking in a parking lot at night…
When you’re in a parking lot while walking back to your car at night, not only have your keys out and ready, and not only should you be alert while looking around you, here’s a unique tip that will be a very effective deterrent:
Carry a tactical flashlight and turn it on while walking to your car.
When criminals see a bobbing flashlight working its way through a dark parking lot, they are going to think that it’s coming from a security guard or law enforcement! Because they are who criminals see most often with flashlights!
If you’re walking to your car at night, not only will a flashlight help you to see better in the dark, but ‘the bad guys’, the criminals, are going to think you are a LEO or guard.
A tactical flashlight will also serve the function of blinding the attacker with the beam or even as a weapon if the worst happens (ferociously bonk the attacker with the metal body of the flashlight as if you’re life depended on it).
So, that’s it… simple but effective. For you ladies, you could easily carry a tactical flashlight in your purse and/or possibly on your keychain. For the men, you could carry one by including it in your EDC (every-day-carry) clipped to a pants pocket (for example) or on your keychain if it facilitates that…