Check your rear mirrors often, while driving after shopping

This probably sounds like and oxymoron, checking mirrors while driving. Of course that is what you do while driving.

What I am speaking to is paying attention to the driving landscape around you while your driving. Looking for people and things that might not feel right.

Let’s try this with a story:

It’s the Saturday just before the big game and you’ve been searching and researching flat screen TV’s and you’ve found one that would work for you perfectly. You’ve already purchased the mount and attached it to the wall of your bedroom or man cave. Now you head to the Big Box store to pick up your rectangle dream unit.

Once you get to the store you take your receipt from your online purchase and give it to the person at the customer service counter. They look up the information on your 96″ glowing bundle of joy and have someone from the stock room bring it out. On one of those big dollies, there it is; your TV. Although you planned on it being big and perhaps even folded down or removed the seats from your minivan, you didn’t realize just how big the box and the styrofoam would be. So now along with the help of the guy at the big box store, you spend the next 30-45 minutes unboxing and figuring out how you’ll get this in your vehicle. As you’re doing this people are going in and out of the store. Some of them might even have offered to help and congratulated you on your purchase

All this attention is great for the store. They like all the other customers being envious of your monstrosity of a TV. They hope they’ll go in the store and top it in size and clarity.

Well you’ve got it into the vehicle and your heading home. Are you heading straight home. NO. You had a couple errands that you need to run. Is that the same burgundy car that you saw earlier. Naaaw, could be your being paranoid , right?

Well you’re not being paranoid. All the attention that you drew at the store could come back to haunt you. When you’re driving home are you checking your mirrors for similar cars or trucks in an around you. As you enter your neighborhood or subdivision? Is that same burgundy car still following behind you? Did anyone say your address out loud while you were at the customer service desk? Do you have an attached, closed garage that can make your TV unloading more discreet, or do you have to carry it into your apartment from the parking lot?

All these are concerns that start out quite benign and could become more. The moral of this little scenario, is discretion. Be as discreet as you can when doing something like this. You’re not being paranoid; you’re being cautious. Have you put any thought to it?

Until we meet again,

Be Alert. Be Aware. And be SAFE