There’s little more frightening than the sneaking suspicion that someone may be following you. Here’s how you can tell whether the person behind you is following you and how to safely get out of these scary situations
How do you know if someone is following you?
If you suspect someone is tailing you in a car, you can confirm it by doing the following:
- If you’re on city streets, make four right turns. If the car is still behind you after the fourth turn, they’re probably following you. Most people don’t travel in circles around city blocks.
- If you’re on the freeway, get off and then immediately get back on. If you can still see the car in your review mirror, you’re probably being followed. Just as most people don’t travel in circles on city streets, most people don’t get off and then right back on a freeway.
You can also get over to the right lane of the highway, and slow down to 15 miles or so below the speed limit. All the cars behind you will soon pass by. If the one you’ve had your eye on doesn’t, it’s almost assuredly following you.
What you should do if you are being followed
If you suspect someone is following you, this is what law enforcement recommends to get away safely:
- Don’t panic and keep driving. You are driving, remember. If you let panic get the better of you, it may result in an accident. Therefore, after taking a mental note of the situation, do not lose focus on the road ahead.
- Don’t let them know you know. You might be tempted to scare the person following you away by letting them know that you know what they are up to. Do not glance at your side mirror now and then or do anything suggestive. Keep on driving calmly.
- Don’t drive home. If you were driving home, don’t head there. The stalker’s mission could be to find out where you stay to plan misdeeds later on. Whatever you do next, keep home out of the picture if you can.
- Call the police or drive to the nearest station. Depending on the level of danger you judge you are in, decide if you should call the police or drive to the nearest police station. Your stalker could be intending to harm you immediately, not later. You can judge by how determined they are to keep you in sight.
- Drive to a public place. Where it is not possible to contact the police or drive to a police station, you should drive to a crowded place. You should not play a cat-and-mouse game with the following car for long because it is likely to become a distraction.
It would be best if you constantly stay alert when driving. How else would you know when you are being stalked by one of the cars behind you? While we don’t encourage you to glance at every car suspiciously, you should be alert enough to detect any unusual conduct going on behind you.
Something else: never share your whereabouts on social media. You may unintentionally reveal your exact location to stalkers planning to harm you.
Do your part, #TellAFriend
Help keep your friends and family safe by sharing these safety tips. As part of our new #TellAFriend safety campaign, Auger & Auger will be sharing quick tips to educate people on everyday dangers and lesser-known safety tips. Sharing these posts could potentially save someone’s life.
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