Vehicle Preparedness and Staying Safe on the Go

Most of my readers are probably aware that we lived in Ferguson, Missouri, at the time of the riots. It was a tough time for our city, but it was a tough time for our family. In 2014, our five children were ages 3-12. My husband worked thirty minutes away from our home, and I wasn’t going to be stuck at home 24×7 or even just when my husband wasn’t available. That meant leaving my home without him, and I needed to ensure my children and I were protected when we were out and about. At that time, vehicle preparedness was significantly centered around my (and my family’s) safety.

Have you missed the first few articles in this series?   You can find them here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

***There are links in this post.  Some of the links may be affiliate links. My promise to you is that I will only recommend the most economical version of the best quality items to serve you. All of these are the items that I have bought for my own family.  If you click on a link, your price will remain the same.  If you make a purchase, we may earn a small commission that aids in the cost of the running of this website.***

There are two main ways to discuss safety when it relates to being in your vehicle: situational awareness and personal (or family) safety.

Situational Awareness

When we were living through the Ferguson Riots, Twitter and I were best buds.  Anytime that I had to leave the house, I would get onto Twitter and check out where the protests were going on.  This was very helpful, but since I wasn’t checking Twitter while I was driving, I still had to watch out for everything going on around me.  Why?  It certainly wasn’t because I wanted to spot a new car, or I was on the lookout for a friend.  I needed to keep an eye out for the movement of groups of people that could potentially threaten my family’s safety.  This is a fundamental definition of Situational Awareness.

According to M.R. Endsley in Toward a Theory of Situation Awareness in Dynamic Systems, there are three levels of situational awareness.

(1) The first level of Situational Awareness is the “perception of elements in the current situation.”

This is simply learning to observe what’s around you.  Take a trip to a new park and sit down.  Take some time to observe your surroundings and click a few pictures using your cell phone.  Then stop looking around, put down your phone and write down what you saw in the greatest detail you could remember.  Then 24 hours later, sit down and do the exact same thing while you’re sitting at home or someplace other than the park.  Use the greatest detail that you can.  Then take a look at the pictures that you took.  What did you miss?  Think you got it all?  Ask someone else to look at your photos and tell you what they see.  Did they notice something that you didn’t?

(2) The second level of Situational Awareness is the “Comprehension of the current situation.”

This is HUGE.  What inferences can you make from your situation?  Going back to the park analogy.  Do you see a mom wiping the sweat off her forehead?  Or did you see a kid picking himself up off the ground?  There are millions more scenarios like this that should show you what’s going on.  Did the kid who is picking himself up off the ground fall?  Did someone push him?  Or was it a kid throwing a fit (maybe over having to leave) who later got a hold of himself?  Start learning not just to observe your situation but also to read the situation.  What just happened to cause what you’re seeing now?

(3) The third and last level of Situational Awareness is “Projection of future status.”

So this takes things a step in the opposite direction.  Instead of saying, “How did we get to where we are now?”  You need to ask, “What’s going to happen next based upon what I’m seeing?”  It’s like playing chess.  You make moves to your pieces, not only based on your objective but also on what you believe your opponent will do next.

These things take time, but this is something that you can do while you’re out with your kids.  You can watch your kids and practice situational awareness at the same time.  Why not take some time and go sit out in your front yard and practice situational awareness out there?  Pick different times of the day to do this and see what other kinds of things you can observe.

Personal Safety 

Besides using situational awareness, we also need to be able to protect ourselves and our families physically.  Before I get on to things we can use to protect ourselves (and, by extension, our families), you need to know that just because I mention specific items to protect your family doesn’t mean they are legal in YOUR location.  For example, if I say that having your concealed carry permit and carrying a concealed handgun is one way to protect yourself, it doesn’t mean it’s legal where you live.  Check the regulations in your municipality to determine what is and is not legal.

Pepper spray

About a year after we first moved to central Illinois, we decided to go ahead and put our kids into a local homeschool chess club.  It was our second week at the club, and my kids were enjoying it.  While my four older kids were playing chess and my youngest child was playing games beside me on the floor, a young man ran into our room screaming and brandishing two knives.  Our chess coach was a hero and truly saved us all from our demise.  I won’t go into the whole story in this article.  If you want to, you can read more about it here.

After I had time to process the whole situation, I started thinking about what I could have done differently.  We met at a public library, and it does say on the front door that no firearms are permitted in the building.  It didn’t take me long to come to the opinion that I was never going to go out without pepper spray again.

I’m not going to get into the debates as to whether or not we should be allowed to concealed carry everywhere or whether or not we should break the law to keep our families safe.  In this case, pepper spray would have worked just as well as a handgun.  And since firearms weren’t permitted – it is the best legal option in my state.  Some states put restrictions on pepper spray.  Make sure you look your state and municipality up to see if there are any restrictions and what they are in your area.

Striking tool

This won’t do you much good in a situation where someone is holding a knife or a gun on you, but if they are unarmed or you can catch them unaware, this could be an effective way to protect yourself if you and your family are out and about.

There are five types of striking tools of which I am aware.

Self Defense Ring – The ring almost looks like a cat, but if someone tried to get you, your fingers could pack a wallop of hurt if someone tried to come at you. I could pack one whopping world of hurt on someone.

Self Defense Tool – This one reminds me of icicles I used to see hanging off our gutters in wintertime when I lived in Pennsylvania.  This can also break a car’s window if you need to get into or out of your vehicle in a hurry.

Tactical Pen – I’ve carried two different ones of these with me.  I loved my tac pen.  This one has more nifty features than the last one that I purchased.  This has a flashlight, DNA catcher, glass breaking or stabbing end of the pen and still can be used for writing.  This is probably the least obtrusive option of the three listed.

Keys – If you can tell someone is following you and you don’t have one of the above items, take your keys, put one key between your second through fifth fingers, and make a fist.  These will do damage if someone is attacking you.

Knife – Ask my kids.  I have a knife attached to my hip practically 24/7.  I’ve never needed to use it for self-defense, but I use it all the time.  Having it on my person and being comfortable using it in everyday situations helps.  I hope that I never need to use it to defend my family.  I have it if I ever need it, though.  Again with knives, make sure you comply with the laws of your local municipality.

Personal alarm

For someone who can’t, shouldn’t, or won’t carry a more potent form of protection (like a child or an older adult), this is an excellent form of keeping them safe.  These alarms will scream at 140 DB.  If someone tries to attack anyone carrying this, they can activate it, and it will make so much noise that everyone will come running to see what the sound is.

Taser

For people who may have a problem with carrying a handgun, a taser may be an option that they feel more comfortable with.  A taser is still dangerous; in many places, it’s illegal, so check the laws where you live.  Instead of a taser – how about a taser pen?!?  How cool is that?

Handgun

We own a handgun, and we know how to use it to keep our family safe.  That being said, if you own a gun, ensure you know how to handle it safely and keep it locked up and out of children’s reach.  Most states require you to go through a concealed carry class if you want to carry a gun with you on your person.  Make sure you’ve taken the course and check the laws in your jurisdiction.  In Illinois, before we could purchase a gun, we had to get something known as a FOID (Firearms Owner ID) card.

Make sure you also check the laws on how you are allowed to use and transport your firearm.  Some states (like Illinois) put restrictions even on how you can legally transport guns.

What About You?

How do you keep your family safe when you are out and about?  I’d love to hear about it!  Leave a comment below so that we can all be better prepared.  And never forget . . .

You’ve Got This, Mama!