SAFETY TIPS FOR ‘LONE’ WOMEN TRAVELLERS, SHOPPERS AND TOURISTS

De-sex your car! An attacker will sometimes examine the vehicles in a parking lot and target those whose 
visible contents indicate they may be driven by a (lone) woman – e.g., cosmetics, ‘pink’ furry dice. 
?	The attacker will then place a sharp tack in front of the rear wheel and wait in another car. 
?	The tack will puncture the rear wheel as the driver pulls forward, and the attacker simply follows (if the 
returnee is a lone woman) until the tyre deflates totally and the woman pulls into the kerb and gets out. 
THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST TWICE IN JUNE/JULY 2005 AT CBC MULTI-STOREY CAR 
PARK IN CHESTERFIELD!!

Be car-smart! ALWAYS park in well-lit areas so you can pull straight out. Immediately you get in, LOCK the 
doors; you can then ferret for your keys, etc., without anyone jumping into the car. 
?	Also leave enough room and reverse back slightly before pulling forward – therefore if anyone has 
placed a tack in front of the rear wheel, it will fall away and is unlikely to puncture your tyre.
?	ALWAYS place your handbag on the FLOOR of the passenger side to prevent anyone grabbing your 
door or trying to smash you window. 
?	If it’s hot and you don’t have AIR CON – lower passenger window PARTIALLY if doors are locked, 
but not sufficient for someone to get their arm inside; only open the driver window slightly, as this 
enables attackers to grab your head. Keep something bone-shattering, like a wheel-lock, to hand to 
wallop anyone who tries to get an arm inside the car. DO NOT lower electrically operated rear windows 
if you are alone in the car. 
?	Always ensure you have sufficient petrol and that your oil, water, etc., are at good levels.

Practice your sprint! If a mugger demands your purse or your handbag, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. 
Instead, toss the item away and to one side of you – the ‘side’ that is in the opposite direction to any escape 
route there may be. He is after your money anyway and human biology auto-reflex means his eyes will track 
the moving target. 
?	The instant he starts to track the purse or handbag – RUN LIKE HELL. (If trapped you may have to 
wait until he makes a move to the purse or handbag and then dash – wait until he is more than arm’s 
reach from you).
?	If you are trapped with nowhere to run – ATTACK the instant his eyes start to track the flying handbag 
or purse. The ELBOW is the hardest part of the human body and is ideal for smashing into a face and 
breaking a nose or cheekbone. Nice chunky rings will slash eyes (backhand across the face, don’t claw 
at his face as he will try and grab at your wrist if your hand is clenched but will throw up his arms to 
block an open-handed blow) 
?	Remember – you aren’t there to win a fight – the instant there is sufficient gap for you to get clear RUN 
LIKE HELL.


Be alert! Leave talking on your mobile until you are in a café, not wandering down a busy city street oblivious 
to your surroundings. Distribute credit cards and purses around your person and carry a cheap ‘bait’ handbag 
that the bag-snatcher can just grab from your shoulder and run off with (not realising its useless). As far as 
possible keep mobiles/digital cameras etc., out of sight in your inside pockets. THINK about whether you really 
need to carry the flash “MUG ME” laptop conspicuously under your arm. With retail therapy – many stores 
will home deliver for a slight charge that is worth the price of keeping you unburdened and free to flee (or 
fight). Don't weigh yourself down!
Walk tall! If you are anywhere alone do not scurry along like a frightened dormouse. Walk with a straight back 
and hold your head up. 
?	If you are meandering as a tourist or sightseer, do the same thing. If you think a man is tracking you or 
arouses your suspicion, make it obvious that you have spotted him and are monitoring him. 
?	Make brief eye contact - don’t get into a stare down but make it clear that you are aware of him, are 
watching his every move, and are memorising his features for the police photofit, and DON’T deviate 
from what you were doing before (e.g. window shopping). 
?	Your obvious confidence in your ability to handle the situation will make him unlikely to proceed with 
any aggressive action. Remember – he isn’t psychic, he doesn’t know you’re a blubbering jelly inside.


You are what you eat! Rohypnol is the scourge of smoky clubs but more attacks against lone women are 
happening in daytime city cafés. 
?	If you are alone, never leave your cocktail or coffee where it is out of your sight. 
?	Even if you are with a group of people you know – or closer friends whom you trust – are they sober 
enough to notice anyone administering a little extra something to your drink?

Go Blackadder – have a cunning plan! If you are going to a city for retail therapy, do you know the bus & 
train routes? Don’t be poring over a map on the tram on the way there! 
?	If going out with a group of friends when its likely that most of you will end up inebriated, has everyone 
(especially the women) got a clear time and method of getting back home that doesn’t involve them 
being alone and plastered in a taxicab? 
?	Are you capable of ensuring that everyone sticks together and that someone will notice if you don’t 
come back from the Ladies or that you’ve ‘disappeared’. (A large group might consider a "Designated 
(sober) Watcher" to keep an eye on everyone and make sure nobody is separated from the herd.

The above tips were taken from a variety of American and English sources, provided by women who regularly 
go about their daily lives or travel widely on their own, for whatever reason. This is reproduced courtesy of 
Catherine Stewart, a writer who advises in lone travelling for women, the original can be found at The Cat’s 
Whiskers (www.cd.stewart.btinternet.co.uk) on the original Non-Fiction page.

ABDUCTION: If the worst happens and you are abducted, make a big fuss about your ‘claustrophobia’ and 
implore NOT to be locked in the boot of the car. This should make him lock you in the boot of the car, which is 
what you want (not least because he can’t attack you and drive at the same time). 
?	Once in the boot, smash out the car’s rear lights by whatever means necessary and stick your arm 
through the gap as far as you can and just wave frantically. The driver cannot see a thing, but those in 
cars behind can see you and will alert the police that someone is trapped. When the car stops, the police 
should be waiting. 
?	Just in case, curl up in a ball and get your feet underneath you; while the car is in motion keep flexing 
your feet and leg muscles, removing shoes impractical for running (though stilettos make great 
weapons). When the car stops, curl up as tight as you can, hunch your head into your shoulders and get 
your feet underneath you. The instant the boot lid opens, thrust up with all your strength aiming the top 
of your head at his lower jaw and torso. At best the impact of your skull with his lower face will break 
his jaw, or you will land on him hard enough to knock the air out of his lungs. While he is gasping like a 
fish RUN LIKE HELL and KEEP GOING, even if you think you spotted a gun. It is almost impossible 
for anyone but a trained marksman to hit a moving target even at close range.

REMEMBER – “I’d rather be paranoid than dead!”