While there is plenty of safety advice on the Internet, these nine suggestions seem to ne not well known, even though they may be highly beneficial hen applied:
1. Keep Your Car Keys on Your Night Table: If your car key-fob contains a panic alert button and your car is in range of your bedroom, a simple press of the button can keep your family safe by scaring off intruders.
2. Set the Home Address of Your GPS to a Fake Address: If you have GPS in your car, set the “home” address to a fake or different address so if your car is stolen, the robber won’t be able to know where you live and possibly put your family in danger.
3. Be Careful What You Share on Social Media Platforms: Do not publicly post check-ins to distinct locations – you may be letting the entire world know that you are not home, setting you up for a potential robbery. Never post information about your children’s schedules.
4. Lock Up Prescription Medications in Your Home: If you have small children in the home, make sure to lock up your prescriptions instead of just placing them in your medicine cabinet. Read our blog on the 7 drugs that can kill kids in one single pill to learn more about the dangers of prescription drugs.
5. If You Receive a Call from Your Credit Card Company About Fraud, Hang Up: Never believe everyone who calls you. If your “credit card company” gives you a call saying there may have been fraudulent activity on your account, hang up and call the real number on the back of your card.
6. Cameras are Everywhere: When entering a PIN or alarm code, block the view of others with your hand. It is possible that someone may be recording you without you even knowing it.
7. Never Rely on Door Chair Locks for Safety: They aren’t as strong as you think.
8. Never Use Candles for Lighting in a Blackout: If you watch the news and there is a hurricane, tornado or storm watch, make sure you have enough flashlights and lanterns for your family to see safely in the dark. Never rely on candles – they can be a serious fire hazard.
9. If you have Car Keys, Carry them in your Hand in the Parking Lot: This can reduce the amount of time it takes to get into your car and to start it, reducing your exposure for attack. Also, if you are searching in your purse or pants pockets at your car door, this can set you up for disaster because you are not paying attention, which makes it easier for a robber to strike.
Keep yourself and your family safe by following these every day safety tips. For more information on these tips, visit forbes.com