SAFETY DURING VACATIONS- PART I
Once again it is festival
time and time to plan for trips and outings.May be you are only planning
a overnight trip to the out of town resort or are moving out on a longish
vacation up country. Some of you may even have worked out an overseas junket.
Wish you all the best. But just before you embark on your dream vacation,
just a few words of caution. It would be prudent to keep in mind a few safety
tips to make your holidays happy and enjoyable. You could just be driving
down to the wild life sanctuary a couple of hundred kilometers away or starting
on a train journey to a tourist spot some thousand kilometers away. All
need meticulous planning.
Take due care to make your
reservations, hotel bookings well in advance, confirm and reconfirm them. Tie
up all odds and ends. Moreover, don't miss out on a very vital and crucial aspect.
How do you plan to take care of any emergency, medical or otherwise, in a strange
place and how to ensure your safety while you are out?
Inform a family member
when and where you will be and when to expect you back; give them your route
if they don't know it. If you plan to travel by road start at daybreak so that
you complete a large part of your travel in daylight. If you have access to
a cellular telephone carry or take it, see it is charged and in working order.
When driving, keep doors
locked and windows rolled up. Maintain at least half a tank of fuel, and keep
vehicle in good repair. Know the position of Petrol pumps enroute. Follow the
advice "It doesn't cost any more to keep the top quarter of your tank filled
than it does to keep the bottom quarter filled." Even if you're pressed for
time, take time to fill up the tank. Have your vehicle serviced and attended
to before you start. Keep stock of spares including a tyre and a jack handy.
If you experience a breakdown, pull to the side as far as possible and turn
your emergency lights on. If you have a cellular phone, summon assistance from
a reputed source in the vicinity that you are aware of. Otherwise, raise your
hood or tie a streamer to your antenna, and await assistance inside your locked
vehicle.
Speak to strangers through
a partially rolled-down window, and request them to go to a phone and call police
or a tow service; do not exit your vehicle until a law enforcement officer or
tow operator are on scene. On longer trips, be sure you have ample water and
food in the vehicle.
If you are signalled to
stop by any vehicle other than a police vehicle, acknowledge the signal, and
wave the driver to follow you to a safe location (where there are other people
and light). Drive within the prescribed speed limit and take the shortest possible
route to the nearest safe place.
If you have a cellular
phone, dial 100, tell the call-taker you are being followed by a vehicle attempting
to stop you. Request them for the nearest safe location if you are not aware
of one. Ask for a police vehicle to be sent to the location you are in.
While parking, lock the
vehicle, take the keys, and conceal valuables, preferably in the trunk. During
hours of darkness, park and walk in lighted areas to the extent possible. When
returning to your vehicle, carry your keys in your hand and be ready to unlock
the door and enter as quickly as possible. As you approach your vehicle, scan
the area, glance underneath the vehicle, and take a quick look inside before
entering.
While you are out of your
vehicle always be alert and present an alert appearance. It is your appearance,
which speaks a lot about your mental state. Concentrate on your surroundings.
Be on the look out for any suspicious characters. Of course enjoy with your
family but also keep a track of others near you or what may be going on around
you. Scan the area from time to time. Wear conservative, comfortable clothing.
Avoid concentrating so
hard on shopping that you fail to keep track of your surroundings, others near
you, or your personal property. Grip carried items firmly and avoid leaving
them unattended.
Carry minimal cash and
valuables and wear minimal jewellery. Be wary of strangers or persons who are
a little too inquisitive. Don't become intimate with some one whom you have
just met a couple of hours back and see no possibility of meeting in the future.
Don't exchange addresses and telephone numbers.
If you stop midway and
start shopping it is much safer to use your plastic money, the credit/debit
cards. If you don't have one, get one before you start on your trip. Using credit
cards is much safer than carrying a lot of cash. If the vendors you will visit
don't take cards, obtain traveller's checks, which, unlike cash, can be replaced
if lost or stolen.
If you want to visit one
of those money vending machines, the ATMs, use the ones that are well lighted
and located in populated locations; visit preferably during daylight hours if
possible. Before you enter the ATM, make note of the area around.
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