Six Safety Tips for the Mobile Professional

1. Maintain your vehicle. By keeping your car in good shape, you’re less likely to be involved in an accident or break down and become stranded. Self-reliance is key: you shouldn’t have to depend on a mechanic for basic car maintenance. Instead, take an introductory car maintenance class through your local car dealer or community education program. At a minimum, you should know how to check your car’s tire pressure and fluid levels (oil, break fluid, steering fluid, engine coolant, and windshield cleaner), and get into the habit of checking them regularly. Be sure to read your car’s owner’s manual and follow the suggested maintenance schedule, especially for oil changes and rotating the tires. Always fill your tank before the fuel gauge drops below the one-quarter mark, and you’ll never run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. Change those streaky wiper blades, too. It’s important for you to see clearly when the weather turns bad.

If you have the financial means to do so, join AAA. You may never need to use the service, but it’s there if you do. Beyond paying out-of-pocket, most new cars come with some kind of complimentary, short-term roadside assistance plan from the automobile manufacturer or dealer. If you have a roadside assistance plan, make sure you understand what the plan covers, keep the contact information in the glove compartment, and memorize the telephone number. And, if you happen to break down — especially in an isolated or unfamiliar area — stay with your vehicle until help comes to you. Do not accept offers for help or rides from strangers. When help does arrive, take a moment to check credentials and identification. If you don’t like what you see, call the police immediately.

2. Establish communications. Carry a cell phone with you and keep the battery fully charged. If you depend heavily on a cell phone for work or for your personal safety while on the job, ask your employer to cover the cost. Always make sure someone other than yourself — your spouse, a friend, or a coworker — knows your business schedule for the week. For each appointment you may have throughout the day, call the office when you arrive, and once again when you leave. Alternately, have a designated person from your office call you in the middle of your scheduled appointments to make sure things are okay. If you don’t pick up the phone (or, if you do, depending on what you might have prearranged), your office contact will quickly be able to tell if something is wrong. You can also use your cell phone to announce your arrival and request that someone (a security guard or your client) come out to greet you in the parking lot. Never hesitate to call 911 if you feel that you may be in danger.

3. Know where you are going. Looking lost is equivalent to looking vulnerable, and it’s difficult to keep an eye on your surroundings with your nose buried in a roadmap. If you take public transportation, familiarize yourself with the bus and subway routes that you’ll be using ahead of time. If you know that you’ll be driving to an unfamiliar location, sit down and map out your route the night before, or print out specific directions from an online mapping service such as MapQuest (www.mapquest.com), Maps.com (www.maps.com), or Yahoo! Maps (http://maps.yahoo.com/). In addition, most companies have driving directions posted on their websites. Making a “dry run” of your travel route in advance may be useful, especially if you’ll have to navigate at night. Determine the specific address of where you’ll be, write it down, and keep it in a handy place: if you need to call someone for help, they’ll want to know your exact location.

4. Arrive early. It is always good business to be punctual, but getting to a professional appointment ahead of schedule allows you time to adjust to your new environment. If you have a few extra minutes, drive around the block to orient yourself and get familiar with the surrounding area. Identify landmarks, local businesses, and street names. What else is going on in the neighborhood? Is the area busy or deserted? How do you feel about the area you’re in?

Think “egress” while parking: whenever possible, back into your spot with the nose of your car facing the exit so that you may leave quickly, if necessary. From the safety of your car, take note of who might be hanging around the building or the parking lot. If something doesn’t look right, you don’t have to go inside! You can always cancel the appointment and drive away if you feel unsafe. When you’re not in a hurry, you can be more observant whenever you enter a strange building. Take a moment to identify all of the entrances and exits, including fire exit doors, and keep a mental note of the one that’s closest to you.

5. Simplify and stay organized. Leave your valuables at home and limit what you carry on your person. Use a briefcase, tote bag, or backpack to keep your professional belongings orderly and manageable. Carry your important personal items (your wallet, keys, cell phone, etc.) separately in a small purse or waist pouch so that you can identify them quickly and leave other, non-essential items behind if you need to leave in a hurry. When dressing for work, weigh your desire to look professional against the need to be practical. Consider how your footwear and clothing choices may affect your balance, freedom of movement, and your ability to run or climb stairs in an emergency.

6. Stay in shape. Just like maintaining your car, maintaining your personal health and fitness will have a positive impact on your overall personal safety. If you should ever find yourself in a situation where you need to physically defend yourself, your level of conditioning may be a factor in the outcome. Beyond an actual physical confrontation, you should strive to be physically prepared to run to escape harm. If you cannot run a city block or down a flight of stairs, you should resolve to get yourself into better shape. Train regularly to increase your endurance, strength, and agility. Keep in mind that projecting confidence and looking like you’re in good physical condition is a nonverbal cue to a would-be attacker that someone else might be an easier target.

Ultimately, you are responsible for your own safety. Learn as much as you can about the various safety strategies, tools, and techniques that best match your personality and lifestyle. If you decide to engage in formal martial arts or self-defense training, be sure your instructor teaches situational physical resistance techniques and allows plenty of time for practice and repetition. If possible, seek out opportunities to participate in live simulation training sessions with an instructor in a padded suit. Know and acknowledge your limits, and then gradually push against them. Learn about how body language, eye contact, and environmental factors can affect your personal safety. Additional information about physical fitness, firearms, and other personal protection devices is readily available. The more you know about the resources available to you, the better prepared you’ll be to make informed decisions about your personal security.