You pull into a gas station, putting your car in park. Your cell phone buzzes and you find yourself tending to the notification. All of a sudden you jump at the sound of someone entering the backseat and feel a dense object pressed against your arm. “Drive.” A deep voice says.
How did I find myself here? A lot of us find ourselves sucked into the daily patterns of life and forget that violence doesn’t sleep. There is always a predator seeking to expose the weakness of prey.
The predator sees a distracted person pull in alone with their head down, wallet in hand, tunnel visioned on their phone. A common theme in today’s world. Easy day at the office. He looks around, no other vehicles or surrounding eyes in sight. He knows the driver side blind spot, 45 degrees to the 7 o clock position relative to the driver. He adjusts the loaded handgun stuffed in his waistline. He opens the door, jumps inside and presents the cold steel against his victims body. He takes command of the circumstance.
In Afghanistan back in 2018, my unit conducted vehicular dismount operations through Kabul transporting key personnel to and from meetings with Afghan National Army generals and staff. The opposition to troop movements was directed by Taliban fighters in the city who staged explosives hidden in roads, in vehicles as kamikaze style explosive weapons, and on government vehicles with the capability to detonate from a safe distance.
The heightened state of daily threats allowed the U.S. Military to adapt to their environment by creating tactics, techniques and procedures to counter these known threats. 0m, 5m and 25m checks allowed U.S. soldiers to improve their positions as they entered and exited their vehicles.
In a world of ever evolving capabilities by criminal actors, we find ourselves as professionals sticking to principles rather than just techniques. Improving your position and circumstance is a common theme discussed in our approach to meeting violent individual(s) through the lens of a Krav Maga practitioner.
Your vehicle is your fortress. At any time when you are stationary in your vehicle, and not conducting 0m, 5m, and 25m scans of your environment, the car should be locked. Whether you are at a red light, a drive through, or at known locations for crimes such as gas or train stations. Prior to exiting your car, take a moment to visually scan both your left/right mirrors, and rear view mirror.
If you feel threatened, Never get out of your vehicle unless you are “boxed in” and unable to pull away. Take command of your circumstance and improve your position by allowing at least 1 car’s length of space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. You can not control the space between the vehicles behind you, but you can improve the space in front of you. This will allow better odds for your method of egress to the left or right.
Avoidance is self defense. We, myself included, get tunnel visioned at times from everyday distractions such as phones. You can be capable of ownership of your own safety by implementing principles and techniques learned and paid for in blood by U.S. and Israeli soldiers, Krav Maga professionals of the past and present.
Take command of your circumstance, so that a violent actor(s) is unable to take command of you.
