If you drive or ride in a car, you are a potential victim of the car thief. Your only real protection is to be aware of the dangers of car-jacking and take steps to avoid it. Any time you are getting into, driving or getting out of your car, you are vulnerable to an attack. In some cases, the car thief runs up to your car at a stop light, opens the door and enters. In other cases, they may bump your car or attempt to run you off the road as you are driving.

I recommend your car be equipped with, a portable cellular phone, manual door locks, a loud alarm you can trigger with a switch or remote, manual roll-up windows, (automatic windows do not work if the engine is dead), a flashlight, and a rear window fold-out sign with "help - call police" on it. If we take some precautions, we can go a long way towards making our automobile a tough target for the would be car thief.

Here are some safety tips; At home park your car in a closed, locked garage. If this is not possible you should park in such a way that you can see it clearly as you approach it. Glance around as you approach the car for strangers lurking nearby. Have your keys in your hand, ready to enter the car. Once inside, immediately lock the door, start the car and drive away. Do not sit around too long once in the car. If you are getting out of the car, do not sit around too long, make sure the windows are rolled up and lock the doors. Scan the area as you exit the car and go inside with your keys in your hand.

At the mall or at work, park in a well lighted area. Avoid underground parking lots. When you come back, scan the area for strangers. If it feels wrong, go back inside and ask for a security guard.

At stop lights, attackers may come out of another car in front or in back of you. Stop at least one car length from the vehicle in front of you. Windows must be rolled up at all times. When stopped, look in all of your mirrors and turn your head to view the blind spot. If approached by an assailant quickly drive away. If you cannot drive away, then exit your car with your portable phone and run away. Your car is not worth your life. Call the police from your cellular phone. Do not go with anyone in a car. You won't be coming back.

At serve-yourself gas stations, you are often all alone outside. You must pay close attention to what is going on around you. If the pumps cannot be seen from the street, or are not well lit at night drive on. When you exit your car, scan the area for people near your vehicle. When you get out, lock the car and keep the keys in your hand. Look around from time to time as you pump gas. When finished, approach the car with keys in hand and scan the area. Get in the car, lock the doors and drive away.

Car thieves will strike your vehicle from the front, side or rear and when you get out to look or exchange information, they will attack you and take the car. If you are hit or bumped in this way, do not get out of your car. Use your cellular phone to immediately call 911. Do not roll down your windows more than one-half inch to exchange information. If you suspect anything, drive away to the nearest police station or well lighted service area where help is available. If someone in an unmarked car pulls you over and shows you a badge, do not accept it as being proof of his being a law enforcement officer. Simply call the police to send out a marked car with a uniformed officer.

If your vehicle breaks down, pull as far off the roadway as you can. Do not get out of your car if possible. Leave your windows rolled up and doors locked. If you have a rear window fold-out sign with "help - call police" on it, use it. If you have a phone, use it to call the police. Do not accept rides to a service station from anyone. Instead, ask them to go ahead and send back help.

This article was not written to make you paranoid or nervous in your vehicle. It was simply to make you more aware of the potential dangers, so you may take the necessary precautions to avoid them. The most important part of any self-defense system is awareness.

So drive safely...

Today's communities are beginning to feel as if they need to turn their homes into fortresses. We need our homes to be a first line of defense, to repulse the violence and crime that threatens us all.

This article deals with how to make your home a "hard target" for the would be burglar. The more difficult it appears for a bad guy to get in, the more likely he is to skip your house for the one next door.

I am not telling you to turn your house into a stone walled castle, complete with alligators and guards. But to simply have a plan.

First, you should safeguard your house's exterior. To a burglar, your home should look from the outside as if he would have an easier time down the road.

Second, you should secure your valuables inside the house to make them harder to remove once a burglar gets in. This may involve security alarms (some are very inexpensive), marking possessions (televisions, computers etc.) and installing safes for your jewelry and small valuables.

Third, you must cover your personal defense as well. You have to know what to do when the burglar shows up in your home despite your best security gadgets. The most important thing to remember is that you can get a new television, but you cannot get a new life. When in doubt, simply get out!

If you really want to know how to improve your safety, simply learn to think like a thief. View your entire house, inside and out, with the eyes of a burglar.

The bad guys don't want to be seen, so don't give them a place to hide. Cut or move back bushes and other visual obstructions in the yard, close to entrances and next to windows that could conceal a burglar. Good outside lighting, should be installed; which illuminates your home from all sides, not just the back and front doors. You can buy programmable lights that come on at dark and go off at dawn. I also recommend you install a few motion detec-tor lights near the driveway and any entrance areas. A well-lit home will almost always be passed over in favor of the dark house down the street.

Most houses sit empty most of the day. Burglars know this and some may hit your house in broad daylight. Your lights won't scare him away during the day so you have to fortify your home from the inside to make it harder for him or her.

Exterior doors and frames, even those in your garage, should be solid wood or, better yet, steel construction. Try to avoid doors with windows; rather install a good peep hole with a wide angle glass lens. Sliding glass doors have very flimsy locks that can be easily pried open. To prevent this, you can use a stick or locking anti-slide bar. All this is good but it won't help you if your doors aren't locked. In short, purchase the best locks you can afford and use them!

Always lock your doors! If you walk next door for just a moment you should lock your doors. If you don't; start now! Daytime burglars look for an open or unlocked entrance. A few of these "deranged criminals" want to come in to rob and terrorize you as well. Don't give them the chance. Lock your doors at all times! Don't leave spare keys on hooks. Hide them in a safe place. To avoid having to many keys call a locksmith. He can key most of your deadbolt and locks so that they have the same key. Two keys are better than 20. Don't hide your key under a door mat, fake rock or any other obvious place.

Windows should be closed at night or when you are out. Installing bars over windows is not recommended, because; although they may keep bad guys out, in an emergency they can also keep the good people in. If you have such bars, they should have a quick release latch that is not accessible from the outside. Leave the window shades or blinds closed at night or when you are not at home. Remember, you never know who is watching.

The bottom line for home security is not just your gadgets and weapons, it's you and your level of aware-ness to the dangers of living in our modern times. Look around you and be very aware!

Written By Sifu Rino Côté