We’ve compiled pieces of the following good advice from various sites on the internet in an effort to promote safety for women. We hope you will find it useful.

Safety Tips

• The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!
• If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back taillights and stick your arm out of the hole and start waving like crazy. Pull every wire you can find in the trunk. Try anything and everything. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
• Something like 99% of us will be exposed to, or become a victim of, a violent crime. Women are easy targets for random acts of violence. Here are some of the most important points to remember, as expressed by the an FBI officer:
  • Lack of Awareness! You must know where you are and what is going on around you.
  • Body Language! When you walk down the street, keep your head up, swing your arms and stand straight up.
  • Wrong place, wrong time! Do not walk alone in an alley, or drive in a bad neighborhood at night.
• Women have a tendency to get into their cars and sit there performing various tasks - checking their handbags, making a list, refreshing their makeup, etc. Do not do this! A predator may be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you to drive away to a destination of his choice, not yours! As soon as you get into your car:
  • Lock the doors
  • Roll up the windows
  • Drive away immediately
• In a parking lot, or parking garage:
  • Be aware! Look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat before you get in.
  • If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vehicles while the women are attempting to get into their cars through the driver's entry door.
  • Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle and the passenger side. If a male, or a car full of men, is sitting in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the building from which you just exited. If necessary, get a guard or policemen to walk you back out to your car. It is always better to be safe than sorry and better paranoid than dead!
• Always take the elevator instead of the stairs. You may consider using the stairs as a “healthy choice,” but stairwells are horrible places to be caught alone in and are a perfect crime spot!
• If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, always run! Statistically, the predator will only hit you as a running target 4 in 100 times. And even then, it most likely will not be a fatal shot, or hit a vital organ. Run!
• Women almost always try to be sympathetic - stop it! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well-educated man, who always played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked “for help” into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim. The rest, unfortunately, is history!
• There is a story of a young woman, "who came out of the mall and was walking to her car when she noticed two older ladies in front of her. Then, she saw a police car come towards her with police officers in it, who said hello as they slowing cruised by. As she neared her car she saw a man a few rows over calling to her for help. He wanted her to close his passenger side door. He was sitting in the back on the driver's side and said he was handicapped. She noticed that all eight handicap spots in the area were empty. He continued calling until she turned and headed back to the mall. The “handicapped” man began cursing at her. In the meantime, she wondered why he didn't ask the two older ladies or the policemen for help, and why he was not parked in any of the empty handicap spots. As she got back to the mall entrance, two male friends of hers were exiting, and she told them the story, and turned to point at the car in which the man had been sitting. She then saw the man getting out of the back seat into the front and the car sped away. Don't get caught in this trap."
• Another story describes a "woman standing by the mall entrance passing out flyers to all the women going in. The woman had written the flyer herself to tell about an experience she had, so that she might warn other women. The previous day this woman had finished shopping, went out to her car and discovered that she had a flat. She got the jack out of the trunk and began to change the flat. A nice man dressed in business suit and carrying a briefcase walked up to her and said, "I noticed you're changing a flat tire. Would you like me to take care of it for you?" The woman was grateful for his offer and accepted his help. They chatted amiably while the man changed the flat, and then put the flat tire and the jack in the trunk, shut it and dusted his hands off. The woman thanked him profusely. As she was about to get in her car, the man told her that he left his car around on the other side of the mall, and asked if she would mind giving him a lift to his car. She was a little surprised and she asked him why his car was on other side. He explained that he had seen an old friend in the mall that he hadn't seen for some time and they had a bite to eat and visited for a while. He got turned around in the mall and left through the wrong exit. Now he was running late and his car was clear around on the other side of the mall. The woman hated to tell him "no" because he had just rescued her from having to change her flat tire all by herself, but she felt uneasy. Then she remembered seeing the man put his briefcase in her trunk before shutting it and before he asked her for a ride to his car. She told him that she'd be happy to drive him around to his car, but she just remembered one last thing she needed to buy. She said she would only be a few minutes; he could sit down in her car and wait for her; she would be as quick as she could be. She hurried into the mall and told a security guard what had happened. The guard came out to her car with her, but the man had left. They opened the trunk, took out his locked briefcase and took it down to the police station. The police opened it - ostensibly to look for ID so they could return the briefcase to the man. What they found was rope, duct tape, and knives! When the police checked her "flat" tire, there was nothing wrong with it; the air had simply been let out. It was obvious what the man's intention was, and obvious that he had carefully thought it out in advance. The woman was blessed to have escaped harm. How much worse would it have been, if she had gone against her judgment and given him a lift!"
• Remember, never let your guard down - use your better judgement, not your emotions! And, please be safe, not sorry.

Travelling today can be a hassle and most people are looking for ways to make the experience less traumatic. We have compiled several segments relating to travel – some address security, some concentrate on personal safety and some just focus on ways to make your travelling life easier. All, we hope, will be helpful.

General Travel Tips

• Travel with another person whenever possible.
• Find out if the hotel that you plan to stay in has hair dryers, irons, voltage converters, etc., so that you don’t have to pack these bulky items.
• Buy traveler’s checks in U. S. denominations and don’t exchange checks for more cash than you’ll need for a short period of time. And, purchase the traveler’s checks from a company that doesn’t charge a commission.
• Buy travel-size containers for your toiletries and leave them in your toiletry case, so that you’ll be pre-packed for the next trip ahead of time. Refill the containers when you return.
• If traveling overseas, you might want to pack string bags or plastic bags in your carryall, since many overseas stores don’t provide them.
• If you are in a country where drinking the water is questionable, be sure that you avoid: beverages containing ice cubes, fresh salads and vegetables, brushing your teeth with water from the spigot, etc.
• For a variety of reasons (Value Added Taxes, security, better currency exchange rates, etc) it is a good idea to make all large purchases via credit card.
• Carry packets of pre-moistened wipes for spills, dirty hands, stains, etc.
• When walking outside in the city of your destination, always avoid walking close to doorways, alleys, bushes, alleys, etc. And, walk facing on-coming traffic!
• Before your trip make sure that you have an adequate amount of dollar bills and change for tolls, tips and phone calls.
• Make sure that your credit cards and phone cards haven’t expired. It is also useful to have a list of all such cards safely placed in your bank’s safety deposit box in the event that they are lost or stolen.
• Always reconfirm your reservations – airline, car, hotel, etc. - before leaving for your destination and get the names of the persons you speak to at each company/location.
• Wear comfortable clothing and shoes. Bring a jacket or rain gear in case of sudden weather changes.

Driving Tips

• Don’t plan on driving more than 350 miles in one day. This distance should be lessened, if you encounter inclement weather, snarled traffic or bad road conditions.
• Before you leave home check the weather forecast for your destination and check the weather systems along the route you plan to travel. Do not attempt to drive, if severe weather is forecast.
• Avoid heavy meals when driving, since they may make you drowsy. If you do feel sleepy, open the windows to get some fresh air into the vehicle, turn up the radio, or talk to yourself. If this doesn’t work and you still feel sleepy, pull off into a well-lit, public rest stop. Take a short nap or rest your eyes for a while. Do not continue driving, if you are still drowsy.

Flying Tips

• Place your carry-on luggage in the overhead storage bin across the aisle from you - and one row forward! This way you can keep an eye on it at all times.
• Prepare everything you will need to have with you at your seat before the flight begins, so that you don’t have to access your luggage from the overhead storage bin during the flight.
• Make sure that your luggage is locked, if possible, and/or closed securely with a strap that goes around the entire piece.
• Each piece of luggage should contain a data list with your name and home phone number; name and phone number of your physician and lawyer; name and phone number of a person to contact in the event of an emergency, your itinerary, etc.
• Since a lot of luggage looks the same, try to place a brightly colored piece of tape on the handle of each piece of your luggage for easy and rapid identification.
• For extended trips requiring checked-through luggage always pack vital items in a carry-on case - including one change of clothing, medications, necessary toiletries, etc. in case your luggage gets lost or delayed.
• Make sure that you drink extra fluids, but not alcoholic beverages.
• For short plane trips try to pack everything in a carry-on case, so that you don’t have to wait for your luggage after the flight.
• Make sure that you get up and walk around frequently during long flights. Use Isometric exercises or generally move your head, arms and legs around while seated.
• To avoid “jet lag” consider contacting the U.S. Department of Energy Lab for their “Anti-Jet Lag Diet.” Also there are other resources which may help to make your travelling more secure and hassle free.

Passport Tips

• Make sure your passport is up to date.
• Never give your passport to an unauthorized person!
• Keep a photocopy of the first page and two extra passport photos packed separately from the passport. Also leave a copy of these at home.
• If your passport is lost or stolen, report this immediately to the police or to the nearest American Embassy/Consulate. You will then be issued a three month temporary passport.

Resources

• Superintendent of Documents
  U. S. Government Printing Office
  Washington, D. C. 20402
  Phone: (202) 512-1800
  http://www.access.gpo.gov
• State Department’s Citizen’s Emergency Center
  Phone: (202) 647-5225
  http://www.tnema.org
• U. S. Department of Agriculture
  Phone: (202) 720-2791
  http://www.usda.gov
• U. S. Customs Service
  Box 7407
  Washington, D. C. 20044
  Phone: (202) 927-6724
  http://www.customs.ustreas.gov
• Center for Disease Control
  Phone: (888) 232-3228
  http://www.cdc.gov
• Office of Public Affairs
  Argonne National Laboratory
  9700 South Cass Avenue
  Argonne, IL 60439
  Phone: (630) 252-5575
  Re: Jet Lag Diet
  http://www.access.gpo.gov

Be sure to teach your children how to reach the authorities by dialing “911.” Rehearse with them what to say and make sure they know their complete and proper address and telephone number.

Safety Tips

• Always leave the phone numbers of where you, or other designated caregivers, can be reached with any responsible child that you leave home alone.
• Instruct all children never to answer the door without the security door chain being in place.
• Children should never allow strangers into the building without adult permission, or when an adult is not present.
• When children are to be in the building alone, give them an appropriate response to use when answering the phone and a caller asks, “Are your parents home?”
• Rehearse where to go within the building for maximum safety during a tornado or hurricane.
• Make children aware of all appropriate escape routes and methods of exiting the premises during a fire or other similar emergency condition.
• Advise children to leave the premises immediately, if there is a fire - or if they see smoke from any unknown source.
• Advise children of the procedures to follow after the emergency is over, such as where to meet and re-group with their family members off-site.
• Teach your children that they should never enter the car of a stranger or go with a stranger - even if that person says the children’s parents sent them.