A few simple steps to safer solitary motoring

Senior features writer

Thursday 4 October 2012

Most of the time "driver safety" means wearing a seatbelt and checking your mirrors before overtaking.

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health & wellbeing how to … stay safe while driving alone Rebecca McQuillan

Just occasionally, however, something happens to make the lone female motorist feel uneasy.

"I often have to park in a poorly lit car park and when I go back to my car on dark winter evenings I always feel very vulnerable," says one woman in her 30s. "A colleague had her handbag snatched there. The ticket machine never works first time, so you have to stand there, re-trying, with your back turned. People seem to appear out of nowhere. I always feel like I'm on a Crimewatch reconstruction."

Another woman says: "Once when I was driving, I was approaching the sliproad of a motorway and a guy swooped in front of me. I stared at him. "The result was that he started driving in front of me, slowly, and wouldn't let me pass. It went on like that for 30 miles. Eventually I shook him off at some lights by turning right at the last minute. I know he was just some idiot, but it was pretty unnerving."Sinister car parks, threatening people, losing your way on deserted country roads; for the most part these creepy moments are just that – passing moments – but the sense of fear and vulnerability often remains.Monday is National Personal Safety Day marked each year by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, set up in the memory of a 25-year-old estate agent who disappeared in Fulham in 1986 after going to meet an unknown client. The trust's Kristiana Wrixon says that risky situations facing women drivers include breaking down alone at night, getting lost in poorly-lit car parks and being approached by strangers knocking on the window. Simple precautions can minimise the small risk women face, she says, but adds: "A lot of personal safety measures are things that unfortunately aren't common practice among many people."The trust has this advice for a woman travelling alone by car: ensure your breakdown cover is up to date and get the car serviced regularly to cut the chances of a breakdown. Study your route before a journey and take a map as back-up to sat nav; make sure your phone is fully charged and that someone knows where you're going and when you should be back. Lock your door while driving and refuelling. Think hard before stopping for someone trying to wave you down – it might be better to stop further on and call the police on their behalf. If someone approaches the car, only roll down the window slightly, enough to hear them but not enough to let them reach in – if you feel threatened, blare the horn. Reverse into parking spaces as it will be easier to get out again and remember where you've parked in big car parks so you don't look lost (choose staffed car parks if possible and park near the attendant). Scan the car's back seat before getting in. If you break down on a motorway, get out and stay on the verge, but leave the driver's door open so you can jump back in quickly. Tell the recovery company you're a lone female or travelling with children.Most of the time there is probably little real risk, but just occasionally, these simple precautions could protect you from harm.www.suzylamplugh.org

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Automotive

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A few simple steps to safer solitary motoring

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