A muscular man in a cap and sunglasses carries a woman covering her face through a parking lot. 2:56
Pretty Loaded channel icon Pretty LoadedOriginal creator 16M views Save

Head up, keys out on the walk to your car

A woman heads across a parking lot to her car, busy with her phone. In this acted safety lesson, that is all the opening a man in a cap and sunglasses needs. more

He holds her against the car door while she covers her face, and at one point he carries her across the lot. It's all acted. It still makes you want to put your own phone in your pocket.

A man in a cap and sunglasses holds a long-haired woman against a car door as she covers her face. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
In the acted scene, a stranger in a cap and sunglasses holds the woman against her car door.

Then the lesson starts, and it starts with the car itself. Getting in and out of your car is a high-risk area for an assault. It even has a name, a "fringe area."

Close view of a worn metal car exhaust pipe with a dark opening. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Before any tips, the lesson turns to the car itself, where many attacks have happened.

Many attacks have happened by cars as people leave a store or building. So look ahead. As you walk out, look toward your car and make sure nothing there seems out of place.

A person in a white shirt sits inside a car looking down, with patterned fabric nearby. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Getting in and out of the car is the moment the lesson calls high-risk.

If someone is standing by your car, the advice is to hold two thoughts at once. The person may be perfectly nice, and may also be trouble, especially if it's a stranger. The real question is whether they are just loitering out of boredom or have an interest in you.

If you notice someone watching you from their own car as you walk, speed up. Get in as soon as you can, lock the doors right away and leave.

Next come four habits that make you less of a target. First, walk fast and with a purpose. Second, keep your head up, and if someone makes you nervous, look straight at them.

That look has a job to do. You use your eyes to "basically say I see you," a signal that you're a fighter, which isn't what a predator wants. It also means you have seen the person well enough to identify them later.

A muscular man in a cap and sunglasses carries a woman covering her face through a parking lot. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
A woman heads across a parking lot to her car, busy with her phone.

Third, have your keys out and ready before you leave the store. Fourth, keep your dominant hand open and free of bags or a purse. If someone is next to your car, go back inside and ask for an escort. With two people, the lesson says, you won't be a target, and it is easy to find someone to walk with you.

The last piece of advice is to live in "condition yellow." That means staying aware and trusting your intuition at all times. One of the thank-yous left for this lesson comes from a kid, who says it taught a lot.