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Personal
Safety for Business Travelers
Part Three: Security Tips Traveling on Taxis Trains and Subways
by Jamie Alexander
Travelers arriving at airports,
travelers looking for a taxi or minicab, and travelers riding trains and
subways are prime targets for criminals. An experienced pickpocket can
usually pick a traveler out in a crowd with no problem. In a matter of
seconds you could be divested of your money, credit cards and passport.
Women traveling alone are considered fair game just about anywhere. What looks like a friendly cabbie in that minivan could turn out to be your worst nightmare. Men too, can find that cab ride stopping short in some abandoned parking lot, your belongings no longer in your possession.
“Your traveling experience does not have to be this way. You do not have to be a victim.” Says Dr. Ignatius Piazza, Founder and Director of Front Sight Resorts (www.frontsight.com), the largest self defense and personal safety training school in the U.S. “People set themselves up to be targeted by criminals. First and foremost, the traveler needs to be aware of his immediate environment, you need to be able to recognize that a criminal act is in progress.”
“Second, the traveler needs to project an attitude of confidence.” Dr. Piazza continues. “Criminals select out easy targets. If you appear determined in your movements and actions you will be far less likely to be approached.”
“Third, if you are targeted, you need to change what you are doing immediately, and draw attention to the criminal.” Says Dr. Piazza. “And most importantly, you should be trained ahead of time in how to defend yourself in the event a confrontation materializes. Nothing can take the place of real-life scenario training. What is at stake is your life, and the lives of those you are traveling with.”
Following are some additional safety tips for travelers using taxis and public transportation, from the Travel Safety Network.
Seven Tips for Traveler Safety
with Taxis and Minicabs
1) Select out a cab company ahead of time, before hailing one. Get a recommendation from the airport, the hotel you are staying at, or the staff at a restaurant or pub.
2) Try not to let anyone over-hear you ordering a cab. If they hear your name and destination they may pretend to be the cab you have ordered.
3) Do not approach a car that you think is your cab. Wait until they approach you.
4) Do not get into a cab you have not ordered.
5) Do not hail a minicab from the street or accept a lift from a minicab offering a ride. You have no guarantee that the driver is in fact a minicab driver at all.
6) Always sit in the back seat of the car.
7) Do not ask a cab driver to take you to a restaurant, bar or nightclub of his recommendation.
Nine Tips for Travelers
to Avoid Trouble on Trains and Subways
1) Always have your fare ready when entering a train or subway area. This way potential thieves never see where you keep your wallet.
2) While on public transportation elevators, hold your hand over the pocket where you have your wallet. With purses, hold your purse shut. Professional pickpockets love to work escalators in subway areas. They will usually work in pairs, one gets in front of you and one behind you on the escalator. The one in front will stop suddenly, causing a jam up, while the one in back of you lifts your wallet.
3) Wear your purse over one shoulder with the opening flap against your stomach so that it is impossible to get to by anyone but yourself.
4) Don’t tempt thieves by carrying credit cards or money in a fanny pack. In a crowded train or subway car these pouches can easily be sliced open with a razor blade.
5) Avoid remaining in an empty transit passenger car. If you find yourself alone, simply exit one car and enter another at the first available stop.
6) Enter the center cars on a train or subway, as they generally get the heaviest traffic, and there is greater safety in numbers.
7) Avoid constantly referring to your destination map on the train or subway. This only serves to advertise that you are not sure where you are going.
8) Don’t draw unnecessary attention to yourself by what you wear. Muted colors and conservative clothing will help you fade into the crowd and stay out of trouble.
9) Women are often groped on packed trains and subways, simply to divert their attention while their purse is being pilfered. However offended you may be, keep one eye on your belongings.
You don’t have to be the next victim of traveler crime. Follow the safety tips above, and get yourself trained in the self-defensive skills that just could save your live.
For more information on Front
Sight Resorts world-class self-defense and personal-safety courses for
executives, please call 800-987-7719; email info@frontsight.com;
or visit their web site at www.frontsight.com.
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Jamie Alexander is a business writer based in Ventura, California.