In a rural area, look for an escape route where you can outrun and hide from the attacker. A wooded area is ideal for this. One of two things is very likely to happen if you’re attacked in a busy public area. Either people will come to your aid to help you, or the attacker will be spooked off by a large number of witnesses. At a bare minimum, someone will call the police.
If the attacker doesn’t have a weapon, it’s always better to run. If you’re carrying a backpack or purse, drop it. It’s only going to slow you down and whatever valuables you have can always be replaced.
If you’re in a forest reserve or remote location, this probably isn’t going to help much. You’re better off yelling for 2-3 seconds to let anyone nearby know, then staying as quiet as possible while you flee to try and lose your attacker.
Don’t go out of your way to find something to throw. If this isn’t practical during the initial moments of the attack, you’re better off just running and focusing on making noise.
Your nerves may be all over the place after you get away. This is completely normal. Just take a deep breath and remember that you’re safe so long as there are other people around.
It’s okay if you can’t remember every tiny detail. You were under stress and it’s reasonable that you were more focused on getting away. Just give the police any info you can to the best of your ability.
If you are taken, maintain eye contact with the attacker whenever they talk to you. This can subconsciously remind the kidnapper of your humanity and drastically reduce the odds that your attacker harms you. Try to drop your wallet, ID, or some personal item at the spot you are taken. This will give the investigators something to work with.
You can throw in a simple, “Okay, okay…you win” to really sell them on your act if you’d like. Many people freeze up when they’re confronted with a threat. If you do this, don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s extremely hard to maintain total control over your emotions when you are unexpectedly attacked. If you resist and other people are around, you’re more likely to get away than not. [9] X Research source
Do not let them restrain you while you’re pretending to comply. If they go to put a zip tie or handcuffs on you, this is your time to fight. The goal here is to catch them when they’re focused on something else. They have a fight or flight response just like you do, and if you surprise them, they may back off and run away.
This is also the best chance you have if they lift you up since you’ll have limited mobility and won’t be able to hit very hard. Luckily, it doesn’t take very much effort to injure someone’s eyes.
The goal when fighting off an attacker is to get away, not win a fight. If they do keel over, run. Don’t keep kicking or hitting them—you may only be giving them time to recover.
This is also a great option if they get you on the ground and they’re on top of you.
Keep in mind, it’s better to not shout threats. Threatening the attacker may just make them angry. Just yell, “Help!,” or, “I’m being attacked!” to alert people nearby that you’re in trouble.
This is particularly important if it’s late at night. Attacks of opportunity are always more likely to happen when it’s late out. Spotting a kidnapper as early as possible also gives you more time to respond to what’s happening.
Take a cab or rideshare if it’s late at night and your friend or partner won’t come with you to avoid walking alone.
Hopefully, nothing ever happens to you, but you want to increase the odds that you’re found if you do end up being kidnapped.
Every time you take a rideshare, confirm that the driver’s name matches the name on your app before getting in and closing the door. Some kidnappers will pretend to be rideshare drivers to lure people inside. [22] X Research source
Carrying a knife is usually a pretty bad idea. Mace and pepper spray can be used from a distance, but if an attacker gets close to you, they can always take your knife. It’s also better to use nonlethal force if you have the opportunity.
