The Well-Armed Woman

It’s a Wednesday night. You’ve had a long day at work and get in your car, relieved to finally head home. On the drive home you’re thinking about what you’ll cook for dinner, unwinding with some tunes on the radio, and entering into the trance of driving that we’re all too familiar with. You stop at a light and glance in the rear view mirror and notice a man in an old, beat up truck.

You don’t think much of it and you turn left. You go through several more lights, make a few more turns and stop at another light. You notice that the same truck is still behind you. This time you look more closely at the man in the truck. He seems to be intensely staring at your car, gripping and ungripping the steering wheel. You begin to feel uncomfortable, like something is just a little bit off.

You make a couple more turns and when he is still behind you, you develop a bad gut feeling about the situation. By now, he has been behind you for 10 minutes and you’ve made several turns that normal traffic wouldn’t be taking. You’re almost certain that the man is intentionally following you… What do you do?

The first thing is to confirm that he is following you. Make 4 consecutive right (or left) hand turns. This would not be a normal thing for people to do as you’re just making a big circle. If they follow you on every turn, they are most likely tailing you. If you’re on the highway and can’t make turns, adjust your speed up and down and see how they react. For example, if you’re going 70 mph then change lanes and go 40 mph. If they do the same, they’re likely following you.

If you’ve confirmed that they are following you, DO NOT proceed to your destination. Instead, the safest thing to do would be to drive to the nearest police station. Drive into the parking lot and honk your horn repeatedly to alert those inside. Get in a defensive position and do not get out of the car.

If that is not an option, here are some other possible strategies:

Call the police while you’re driving and give them as many details as possible so they can find you.

If you are not already on the highway, get onto a populated highway. If this is not possible then find another road that has lots of traffic. Start weaving between cars and try to use bigger vehicles to hide your vehicle (SUVs, semi-trucks, etc.). Once your vehicle is out of sight of the pursuing vehicle, take the nearest exit or turn. Most importantly, do not get on any side streets with your pursuer that don’t have traffic.

Shoot the gap on a left turn if you’re the first person in the left lane. This may be a dangerous option and it does break traffic laws, but it may be your only option. As soon as the light turns green, quickly make a left turn. Ideally, you’ll make the turn before the oncoming traffic comes and the other vehicle will get stuck at the light.

Being tailed is a scary situation and it’s helpful to think about it and prepare for it so that you have an advantage if you ever find yourself in those circumstances. To find out more about personal safety, gun ownership, and other methods of self-defense, please join us for The Well Armed Women (TWAW) Sterling chapter meeting on October 16th from 9 am to 11 am at Logan County Shooting Sports complex, 12515 Highway 61/2nd Amendment Way off Highway 61 Sterling, CO. Come join us for a fun morning on the range!

TWAW Shooting Chapters exists to educate and empower women in a safe and non-threatening environment for their effective and responsible self-defense with a firearm. Prospective members are welcome to attend their first meeting before joining. If you would like to become a member, you can join online at www.twawshootingchapters.org. Women over 18 interested in learning more can contact Jennifer Everhart at [email protected] or visit TWAW Shooting Chapters, Inc. website at www.twawshootingchapters.org.  You can also like us on Facebook @twawsterlingcolorado or stop by Boondocks Army Surplus at 324 N 4th Street in Sterling and pick up a flyer.