Avoiding Factual Muggings

KenChen

When people talk about self-defense, they tend to concentrate on how to physically defend yourself. But the best way to avoid getting hurt is to avoid being attacked in the first place. Here are some suggestions:

Appear to be alert -- don't listen to music, don't use your phone, and keep moving. If you go so far as to run or jog to your destination, you will be a very unappealing target.
Stay in well-lit areas at night. In a place with low traffic, it may be better to walk in the middle of the road.
Appear to be armed. Concealed weapons don't help -- they are only useful once you have already been selected as a target. Visible and obvious weapons such as guns and knives are usually too much trouble to be worth it. Ordinary objects that can be used as weapons, such as baseball bats and hammers may be best, as they act a deterrent without the hassle that traditional weapons bring.

What are some other easy measures that people can take to make themselves less of a likely target?

Appear to be alert -- don't listen to music, don't use your phone, and keep moving. If you go so far as to run or jog to your destination, you will be a very unappealing target.
Stay in well-lit areas at night. In a place with low traffic, it may be better to walk in the middle of the road.
Appear to be armed. Concealed weapons don't help -- they are only useful once you have already been selected as a target. Visible and obvious weapons such as guns and knives are usually too much trouble to be worth it. Ordinary objects that can be used as weapons, such as baseball bats and hammers may be best, as they act a deterrent without the hassle that traditional weapons bring.

What are some other easy measures that people can take to make themselves less of a likely target?

I don't mean to be rude, but have you or anyone else commenting gotten mugged? I've walked around college campuses and some (fairly) large cities late at night because I'm an insomniac at times, and I haven't been mugged yet.

I try to look alert and walk with a bit of a swagger if I think that it will make me look like less of an easy target, but I don't know if these are working because I haven't been mugged when not actively doing these things.

Basically, I'm asking if all of these amount to tiger-repellent rocks, or whether they are developed heuristics.

Basically, I'm asking if all of these amount to tiger-repellent rocks, or whether they are developed heuristics.

I've got no idea what your tiger parable is but it doesn't take personal experience to read a study.

0[anonymous]15y

I was mugged, twice, long ago. In both cases, I was in a lonely area far from foot or automobile traffic. In one case this was because it was 1 am. Earlier in the day there would have been people about. In the other case I was (apparently) followed by the muggers for some time, and then when I got to an area where I was far from anyone else, the muggers approached. Both instances of mugging involved two muggers. In one case, they both had guns. Had I avoided lonely areas, then I probably would never have been mugged. I've avoided lonely areas for about twenty years now, and haven't been mugged in that time. Also, in both instances the muggers were from Oakland California, though the mugging occurred in two surrounding communities. I know because in the first case my discarded wallet was discovered by a man in Oakland, and in the second case the muggers engaged me in conversation about how they needed money to get back to Oakland.

3

Avoiding Factual Muggings

3

3

3

Avoiding Factual Muggings

3

3