Child Safety in Carparks for Parents

Any parent interested in Carpark Safety? Anyone care about carpark safety?

Parents cannot afford to be distracted!

All I need to do is follow that one ‘carpark safety conscious’ parent to the carpark. She’ll be loaded with her grocery bags, child throwing a tantrum or demanding food, shopping cart would be rolling away, and she’d be trying to get her child strapped into her seat. I’ll just walk normally maybe to one car away, and when she’s clicking the seatbelt in, I’d just stroll toward the car and kick the door HARD. The door will slam her shins into the car and it would not take a lot to remove child, throw child to mother, grab handbag and keys, and jump in for the ride. Free gas. Free shopping. It’s too EASY.

Child Safety in Carpark Tips

All child safety rules apply in the carpark especially when parents are distracted to the max. Parents do get distracted should think about some of the following, and also perhaps practicing better safety habits:

1. Parents must always have keys ready to open the car before you get to the car. No fumbling accepted!
2. You must always have your keys on your body. Not on the hood. Not on the bonnet.
3. You should get your child into the car before your groceries.
4. While strapping your child into the car, look around and be prepared to back off, slam and lock door to keep your car between any potential assailant and your child. As a side note, if the weather is hot, you should always wind down all the windows so that the interior of the car is kept relatively cool.
5. While strapping your child into the car, make sure to stand with one foot placed closer to the car, and the other foot holding the car door opened. This way if the car door is kicked into you, the probability that you will be incapacitated by the pain will be minimised.
6. Learn how to use the largest of your keys as a pointing/thrusting weapon. This type of weapon reduces the striking area, increasing the pressure applied by the striking force exponentially. Also aim for vulnerable spots. Doesn’t take much to pop that eye or puncture skin around the neck.
7. Be prepared to throw your keys away in order that the assailant would not be able to take possession of your car or child.
8. Be prepared to scream loudly in order to attract attention. No point in trying to rely on physical defence only to be winded by a blow to the gut or throat or face.
9. When under duress OR IF IN DOUBT be prepared to attack first and to attack hard. If the assailant is ready to harm or rob you, chances are it’ll take a lot to dissuade him.
10. If you have secured your vehicle and are forced to defend yourself, place yourself in a defensible location. It’s hard to perform a multiple attack if the person is between two cars. So get between two cars and defend yourself from there.
11. If you haven’t secured your vehicle and are forced to defend yourself, don’t leave your vehicle if your child is strapped in it. Get your child out if you have to. Or get back into the vehicle and lock yourself in.
12. You may try to escape by going under a parked vehicle.
13. You may try to equip yourself with a weapon if you have given up your keys – a car’s antenna or windshield wiper may form convenient hand held weapons.
14. If all fails make sure you do not get pulled back into the vehicle and forced to drive off. FBI stats say there is little chance for survival in such a situation. One survivor told of how she decided to drive her car into the supermarket wall in order to ensure her assailant wasn’t going to rape and kill her.

Read my related post on Child Safety in the Face of an Aggressor.

Any more?

Stay safe, parents.

Colin

Related Links

• Home Alone Safety Tips
• 50 Safety Tips PDF
• Self Defence Blog
• Young Worker Safety – Tips for Parents and Young Adults
• Internet Safety Tips for Teachers and Parents
• Child Safety
• Child Car Seat Problems

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