People With 'Street Smarts' Are Sharing Advice That Can Save People In Dangerous Situations (40 Tips)

Let's say a kidnapper throws you in the back of a trunk. Don't panic! Once you get your bearings, find the carpet that covers the taillight. Peel back the carpet, make a fist, punch the taillight out the back of the car, thus creating a hole in the back of the automobile, then stick your little hand out and wave to oncoming motorists to let them know that something hinky is goin' on.

Never post vacation information on social media until you’re back. You’ll most certainly get robbed at some point if you’re not smart about it.

Also, don’t put expensive product boxes (TV, computer, appliances) outside before trash day. People will see your new toys.

If you're driving and hit black ice just take foot OFF GAS BUT DON'T BREAK until the slide stops.

Don’t ever tell the cab driver you don’t know where you’re going.

Before using any ATM, tug hard on the plastic card reader. Scammers often put a fake one on top that steals your info.

Carry an extra wallet with $50 in it and throw it if someone tries to rob you. STREET SMARTS!

Don't tell even close friends the amount of money you have on you. I was set up by an 18 year old female coworker this week. She seemed like a sweetheart and was giving me rides to work for a few days. I asked on the Monday if we could go to bank as I needed to cash a check for roughly $4500. Minutes after dropping me near house I was robbed at gunpoint of everything by 2 guys. They knew how much they were looking for. The robber said he watched me leave bank but the police saw on camera near home that they had been waiting for me for an hour. One of the robbers was her ex/current boyfriend it turns out.

Do not trust taxi drivers if you are a tourist

Everyone respects true crazy. I once was approached in downtown by a man asking for all my money. I looked him square in the eyes and blurted out something like "blahblubvlahhhhhh". He walked away and I kept my monies.

This is a niche tip, but if you ever suspect something to have an electric current, do not touch it with the palm side of your hand. It can cause your muscles to contract and not let go. Always use the backside of your hand or even better, use a blade of grass or something not too conductive.

Look up and notice if street lights have been shot out or smashed.

If so, avoid those areas at night - there's a reason they've been disabled . . .

You won’t get mugged if you look like you’re going to mug someone.

Buy a daily moisturizer with sunscreen in it.

Nobody approaches you on the street because they want to do something for you. It's always because they want something from you.

The only people who ever truly "win" fights are those who successfully avoid them.

When it comes to knife fights: The loser dies in the street; the winner dies in the hospital.

Don't fuck with that dude with cauliflower ears. He can take more and harder hits than you think.

Get those stickers off your car identifying you as a female. ("Girls just wanna have FuNe!"). It makes you a target.

If you live in an urban area with high transient population, regularly check locked gates and rare use access points. Look for things like small pieces of tape on locks. You are being target and tested for for access to your home that you do not regularly use.

Carry two wallets. One is a honeypot, you hand over if getting robbed. The other is you real wallet. (Pro tip: put a little cash and expired credit cards in the honeypot. This will help it look more real.)

If you’re going to be away on holiday or somewhere you’re unfamiliar with for any length of time, it’s a good idea to try to always make sure that someone knows roughly where you’re going to be and what you’re going to be doing on a given day. Even if you’re like me and you don’t like to plan out a full itinerary, a rough indication of what your plans might be can help work out your movements if ever there is an issue.

You should always be afraid of secondary locations

Always know where the exits are in any place that you enter so that you don’t get lost in an emergency.

Also, never place yourself in a “hole” in public where there is only one entrance and exit and no other people around. These are often crime hotspots