| Protection of Person & Property |
 Pepper Spray |
|
The
times when you could leave your front door unlocked have long since gone. And
unfortunately RVing has has more risks to person and property than it did just a
few years ago. This article is designed to give you some helpful ideas on how to
travel and live more safely in your RV.
A recent incident reporting a nice motor home being stolen at gun point in a
rest stop will give you some idea why it is important for you to prepare
yourself for possible bad situations. The incident happened this way. At 3 am in
a rest stop along I-5 in the West, a loud knock came at the main entry door and
awakened the couple trying to get a few winks amidst all the truck noise. Going
to the door, the person outside pleaded for a first aid kit to help with an
injured child held bleeding in his arms. Without thinking the man opened the
door and was greeted with a 357 in the face. The man and his wife were put out
in their bed cloths and the perpetrator drove off in their nice new motor home.
It was found on a side road the next day totally stripped of appliances,
generator, TV, personal property, tires, wheels, engine, transmission, etc.
Another incident along a freeway in California, started with a crippled motor
home displaying a large FMCA goose egg, and a waiving RV'er asking for help. A
good samaritan RV'er stopped to help and suddenly found himself alone at the
side of the highway as both RV's pulled out into traffic and departed the scene.
Both of these situation could have happened to any of us, and unfortunately you
must think ahead to be prepared to know what you will do if a situation like
this happens to you.
up
Ways of
get Protection
1. BE ALERT - in all situations use all your senses to anticipate
possible problems. Scan the whole scene and take in all the information that
will help you understand the situation you face.
2. TRUST YOUR INTUITION - You have a powerful natural tool in your
intuition and you must learn to trust it.
3. HAVE A PRE-DETERMINED PLAN OF ACTION - Develop plans for all the
situations that you can imagine. Spend time as you drive thinking about all the
situations that could come up and develop response plans for each situation.
Dry-run typical situations while you travel as a way of making your response to
each situation second nature. Have a traveling companion announce a surprise
situation as you travel and execute your response as a practice.
4. NOTHING IS 100% EFFECTIVE 100% OF THE TIME - Do not get comfortable
just because you have a good dog, an alarm system or a gun. Be wary as a second
nature.
Using these four categories to pre-plan your response to a threat to person or property will help you change habits and develop new habits that will significantly decrease the probability of a loss to you or your property as your enjoy your RV. These new habits will also decrease your risks of loss throughout your the rest of your life.
When driving, there are many things you can do to
reduce the possibility of bad consequences. Think ahead and decide to change
your bad driving habits. One helpful thing is to change the way most of us stop
in traffic. We all drive big rigs and often tow something behind. We also know
how hard it is to back up. So just get in the habit of stopping far enough
behind the vehicle in front of you so that you can go forward while turning to
get out of the situation. This is especially important when you are driving your
towed car in unfamiliar territory. When driving on the freeway in stop and go
traffic, you may have a few eager drivers get in front of you, but at least you
won't have to disconnect the towed car, so that you can back up. Another habit
to cultivate is patience. Why hurry or get mad? It will only increase your blood
pressure and make you grumpy.
Every day you hear of traffic disputes ending in gun fire. Let's face it, our
rigs are big and some people can really lose their cool in frustration at us,
even when we are driving well within the law. It is important for us to take
some time and think of whether it's really worth it to lay on the air horn at
some jerk who just cut in front of us. Don't do it any more. Yield whenever
there is any question of right-of-way and plan NOT to get into an argument. You
will get to the campground in one piece, and still with a spouse, only a few
minutes later. Pre-plan your route whenever possible, because it can be unsafe
if you get your rig going down a narrow road with no way to turn around. We all
tend to think that we can keep heading forward, and that eventually we'll reach
a place to safely turn around. But many times we drive ourselvess into
increasing less desirable neighborhoods in the process. When you leave the
highway, stop in well lighted areas to look at maps, and if necessary get out
and ask directions. If you happen to get stuck in a bad area, don't stop under
any conditions....drive until you find a well lighted shopping center or service
station. And next time don't get into this situation at all by pre-planning your
route.
There is a technique used by criminals called "Bump and Snatch" where
they purposely cause a bump or small crash to stop you and then proceed to
either steal your property and money or your whole vehicle. The way I have
pre-planned to respond to this type of situation is:
1. Not get out to look or open the door.
2. Drive to a well lighted, populated location like a service station and signal
for the other party to follow. I realize that this might be considered leaving
he scene of the accident.
3. Have my real or fake Cell Phone up to my ear and if a real one call
"911" immediately.
Try to travel through congested areas in low traffic periods. The last time we
drove through LA, it took less than one hour to go north from Riverside passed
Vilejo. We planned the time and route very carefully.
Use the fact that you have a companion to assist with your response. It is
always good to have a camera that your companion can use record the facts of a
situations. As we know "Rodney King" showed how important a video
camera can be. We carry one of those cameras in a box dedicated to this purpose
so it will always be ready to use. When two of you are responding the results
will most probably be better than just one responding.
Picking a Place to park for the Night
You all face this situation every night while you
are traveling and have some skill in performing the proper activity. The rest
stop story described above shows that there are risks that you might not think
of. Rest areas along the freeways are getting more risky than ever, so if you
have to stop because you are falling asleep, there are some things that you must
pre-plan. If someone knocks at your door at 3 am, there is nothing good going to
happen. Even if the person knocking has an honest problem, you must be prepared
for the worst. DO NOT open the door, until you are absolutely sure that the
request being made is legitimate and represents no possibility of harm to you or
your property. DO NOT put your name on the outside of your RV, since that will
allow a robber to use your name to get you to open your door. One of the best
investments you will make in protecting yourself is to invest in a cellular
telephone. The coverage area today is great, and except when you are driving in
places like National Parks, you can get excellent coverage. The cost of having a
Cellular Telephone can be controlled, by using it only in emergency situations.
A "Fake" Cellular phone is better than nothing. In this Rest Stop
Scenario, you can tell the person that is knocking, that you will call 911 in
response to almost any situation and counter the stated reason for you to open
the door. Cellular telephones are also valuable reporting emergency situations
while driving, or when your rig becomes incapacitated.
Many truck stops are now providing space and even hook-ups for RV's. The
publication "The Truckers Friend" is a national Truck Stop Directory
that lists RV facilities for every major Truck Stop in the Country. Truck Stops
may be a little more noisy, but they are a lot more safe than rest stops.
If you find yourself stuck in a big city at night looking for a Campground and
can't find one, many of the parking lots provide for dry-camping overnight for a
nominal fee. Some people try well lighted shopping center parking lots, but it's
not pleasant being woken up by the security personnel, and being asked to leave.
In some cities, its OK to park on a side street with the permission of the
homeowner. It is also possible to park with permission at a local Church parking
lot. If you have to try a free parking lot, try to get permission. If you really
get stuck, stop a local police officer and ask if there is any area that it is
legal to park. Many smaller cities allow overnight parking near or in their City
Parks. It is always safer to park with another RV if possible. Some large
hospitals allow RV's to park overnight, so even if you don't have someone in
that hospital, you most certainly be safer there with other RV'ers than on the
street.
The safest places to park overnight are obviously, in a private, public, or
commercial Camp Ground where some security is provided. Well planned travel will
allow you to use these facilities.
Please read our Boondocking page for more information.
Leaving your Caravan / RV Unoccupied
There is unfortunately some real risk to property
when you leave your RV unattended. Here again planning can greatly reduce your
risks. First of all -- Don't Advertise --. personal and property loss happens
when a perpetrator has knowledge and opportunity. Knowledge comes from someone
overhearing you talk in checkout lines, at telephones, in service stations, etc.
Don't give anyone knowlege about yourself or your possessions unless there is a
genuine "need to know". Don't leave money or valuables, especially
those that are not replaceable, in your RV.
In a recent theft, the RV's window was broken to gain entry. When the owners
returned they found the microwave, TV, VCR, cameras, etc. gone, as well as all
their clothing. Thieves know that many of us stash cash in a pocket of something
hung in the closet. So they just took all the clothes, later discarding most of
them, just to look for cash at their leisure. They also know that favorite
places to hide cash, are taped to drawer bottoms, behind the drivers seat, in a
front compartment, under the couch or bed, under the sink, etc. It's best to
just not carry cash. Use a cash card periodically instead. Crooks don't like
light and sound or anything that will draw attention to their activities. Most
hardware stores have motion sensing flood lights for under $30. It doesn't take
much to use the 110 AC power we have available in most camping situations to
power a temporary attachment for such a flood light; and I'm confident that in
many boondock situations this lighting system would deter some bad guys.
Storage compartments are vulnerable and we must all realize that there are just
a few master keys that open almost every RV storage bay lock used today. Just
ask you RV repairman and you'll be surprised to know that, each mechanic carries
a few keys that will open almost every brand and type of storage bay. In
Southern California, a favorite target of thieves is the auxiliary generator
while the RV is parked at an all day amusement facility parking lot. They come
into the parking lot with a van, paying like all of us do , and then find the
easiest generators to remove. Generators bring a good price in Mexico, and can
be removed from most rigs in a matter of minutes. They weigh about 300 lbs., so
it is possible with a portable transmission jake to load one into the thieves'
van in a matter of a few minutes.
Mall parking lots are another favorite place for burglaries to take place. You
will be in the store for 20 minutes or more -- and that's plenty of time for
them to break in and steal TV's, etc. In most mall parking lots, we tend to park
away from traffic, so as to be out of the way. That's just the place the thief
wants us to park.
Storing the RV, even on our own lot, makes it vulnerable to possible break-ins.
If the RV is stored behind the barn, or in a similar place, it gives a thief a
chance to case the situation and pick an opportune time to break in. RV security
alarm systems are very helpful in this and many other situations. Even a label
in the window stating that this RV has an alarm system helps. A flashing red
light provides additional deterrence. A full alarm system provides a siren and
flashing light when a break in is attempted. If a perpetrator thinks that your
coach has an alarm system, he probably will move on to another less risky
prospect.
Many RVers choose to travel with a gun in the rig. Doing so puts you at risk of breaking the law in some states, Mexico and Canada. An unloaded hand gun stored in a drawer in the RV with the ammunition, is against the law in California. A concealed weapons permit from one state is not valid in other states. So here are some thoughts about Guns in R's: First of all, if you are going to carry one make sure you know how to use it, and are prepared to use it if you have to. I prefer a shot gun over a hand gun since its a lot easier to hit the target in a defensive situation. The sound of chambering a shell in a pump shot gun is more effective than the sound of cocking a revolver, or chambering a bullet in an automatic hand gun. Check out the laws of every state or country that you plan to travel though before taking the gun, whatever type it is.
Many people like a noisy or trained security dog as a traveling companion. And they do provide some measure of protection. Pets become vulnerable to fire when left unattended, as well as other health risks like overheating. Most seasoned thieves know how to handle animals, and pets have proved to have limited effectiveness. How often have you heard of a pet being a "real" guard dog. True guard dogs have to be trained to be mean, and then kept separate from people to be effective guard dogs. That real Junk Yard Dog is not friendly to anyone and is certainly not someone's pet!
Please read our Traveling with Pets page for more information.
Protecting your person and property outside your RV requires some planning too. Whistles, personal alarms, pepper spray, flashlights and other devices if carried properly, and if you are knowledgeable about their use, are all good things to consider. Self-defense training is also very good. Learn how to get out of a choke hold, or away from someone holding your wrist. Learn where to hit your attacker effectively if you choose to defend yourself physically. Learn how to avoid or de-fuse situations altogether. Local police and community colleges regularly teach these skills. Practice standing in a defensive posture and yelling "NO" as a method of avoiding contact. Learn how to walk away from corners and doorways and how to carry yourself with confidence. Study your map inside a building instead of on the sidewalk. Wear comfortable shoes that you can help you move fast. Watch consumption of alcohol. Use steel lined fanny packs in front of you or a money belt or similar device to keep valuables. Don't keep blank checks with IDs that contains your signature. Carry a fake wallet that you can readily give the mugger.