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Issue 35
Road Rage
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In our Emergency Preparedness classes, we start off with a question: What is the best way to survive a disaster? The answer? Don't
be there!
It might seem like a trite answer, but it is much deeper than you might think. The underlying philosophy
is to have high situational awareness - know what's going on around you.
Once you've identified a threat - be it a hurricane, a riot or some idiot on the freeway - your first action should
be to get away from the threat.
In the case of road rage, slow down and let them pass you. Take a turn off
if you are confident that you won't be forced to stop at an upcoming light. This is generally something you only
want to do in areas with which you are very familiar.
What if the Road Rager is "motivated" and continues
to pursue and harass you?
If you have a cell phone, immediately call 911 and tell them what is happening.
Give them a description of the car (and license plate number if you can get it) and a description of the Rager. Do not
hang up until you see the police.
If you must take an exit, make sure you're not going to be "boxed in".
If you take an off ramp that has a stop sign at the end and you have cars stopped in front of you, be sure to leave at least two car lengths between you and the car in front of you.
As you
are going down the off ramp, scan left and right for potential escape routes. If you have some sort of defensive tool,
get it out.
If you must stop, lock your doors, watch the Road Rager and if they exit their car and approach
you, drive away immediately. That may mean going off on a shoulder or up on a medium - just be aware of pedestrians
or oncoming traffic. "Lean" on your horn and bring attention to yourself.
Do not become
a stationary, passive target for the assailant.
If they remain in their car but continue to follow you, drive to
a public safety building - the police department or a fire department. Don't exit the car, just stop with the engine
still running, lock your doors and again, lean on the horn.
If you don't know the area well, drive towards
any public area - a shopping mall, a hotel drive thru (not boxed in on one end) or a busy gas station. Lock and honk.
If at any point you become trapped, you should have your self-defense tool in hand and ready to be used. For
most people in California, that means pepper spray or a stun gun.
If you must use your pepper spray, if
at all possible, be sure the nozzle is outside of the car when you fire, as you don't want to spray yourself or get hit
by "blow back". Immediately after using your defensive tool, exit the area - in your car if possible - and
contact the police.
In any threatening situation, escape and
evasion should be your first priority. If you are forced to use your self-defense tool, do not hesitate to do so, then contact the authorities as soon as you are safe.
Road Rage is one of the seven threatening scenarios that are covered in our Defensive Sprays and Stunning Devices workshop.
Next issue: Civil Unrest
Bison Risk Management Associates is a Northern California-based company providing Personal Safety and Emergency Preparedness training, workshops and consulting
for individuals, businesses and organizations.
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