How to protect yourselves, and your kids, at venues where vehicles can be used as weapons of mass destruction?

It starts with "believing it can happen"

6 Dead; 48 Injured! SUV slams into Waukesha WI Christmas Parade

If the Wisconsin Parade Incident Doesn't Raise the Bar of Responsibility for you as Parent...Nothing will. It's time for harsh reality!

My life has been giving people and businesses solutions to preventing and surviving incidents of violence. Now, however, it seems that my life has been trying to convince people of the need to "believe that it can happen", take responsibility for their own security and of their kids, and instilling desire to seek out solutions that will develop the skills needed to build security. In general, these efforts fall on deaf ears and then... something happens and, it's too late! And the results of doing nothing becomes someone else's fault and we just don't see that the consequences of thinking we are immune to violence and danger, and the resulting lack of doing nothing to prepare ourselves and our kids, is ours and ours alone as parents. 

PLEASE LISTEN TO ME! Today's threats are unique, dangerous, and everywhere! Do you think that the people at this parade ever thought that it could happen to them? Or even more importantly, theirs kids? Maybe its time for me to get a bit more harsh and not worry about being offensive and doing whatever it takes to get the necessary attention and, even more importantly, the necessary action.

Here's the deal: You are responsible for your own security and, if you have young children, you are responsible for their security. There will come a time however, and it will be at a younger age than you may think, that the responsibility has to be transferred to them because, you just cant be with them all of the time. 

I could put together a montage of hundreds, if not thousands of people who, following victimization, when its too late, said things like:

"this is stuff you see in the movies"

"I never thought it could happen here in our quiet little town"

"I never thought it could be me"

and-on-and-on-and-on! 

The most memorable interview that I saw following the tragic school shooting in Parkland Florida was a female student who, while sobbing uncontrollably, said this:

"everyone thinks it wont happen to them"...

and then it does and, again, the blame always fall to everyone but ourselves as parents and what WE did, or didn't, do because we didn't think it would ever happen becomes harsh reality. By then, however, it's too late and we are forced to deal with the consequences. 

Well...it can happen and you had better understand that. Especially today where threats to our security are far more likely, they are unique, and they are dangerous. 

Is this harsh? Absolutely! Am I concerned about hurting feelings or coming across as being rough or offensive? I have been! But no more! Its time to start changing things and understand that there is no one that is responsible for our security except ourselves. Either take it seriously or risk losing someone that you care greatly about or...just as importantly, them loosing you. 

Now...how to avoid victimization at large gatherings on roads and in places where vehicles can be used to hurt or kill:

Its really simple. Put yourself in the position of the bad guy. You are in a car and your goals is to hurt or kill as many people as possible. In order to raise the number of victims you would either have to strike more people in a confined area, or move from place-to-place for a longer period of time to get access to more people who are spread out. In order to do this, you would need clear and open space which would mean that you would avoid anything that would slow you down or disable your vehicle right? 

So, the answer is simple: 

If you are involved in a large, crowded, open venue that would allow the use of a vehicle as a weapon of mass destruction, find and stay in areas that present barricades or would be deterrent to the threat due obstacles that would disable their vehicle or prevent them from continuing on. 

What do I mean? 

Picture yourself on a crowded, open street. What types of things could be used effectively? Telephone poles, planters, benches, trees, and even curbs are better than nothing. What if, however, none of these were present and you only had building on either side? The deterrent, under these circumstances, would be the buildings because striking the building would hinder their progress and slow them down so... walk along the sides of the buildings. 

If there are no buildings or anything else of security value? Stay away from the crowd. Stay on the outer edges. If you saw the video of the vehicle massacre in Waukesha WI, the vehicle sped past many scattered people until he came upon the dense areas of the crowds. 

Think about what would be attractive, and happening to a threat under highly chaotic circumstances. Remember "tunnel vision" and what they would see, hear, or think as a result of it. 

You can, and will, find the answers BUT, you have to want them and be looking for them. You have to "believe that it can happen". If you don't, you will do little or even nothing to prepare yourself but, even worse, you will do little or even nothing to prepare those that you are responsible for and/or those that you love and care most about - your kids and families. 

One final question: The weapon of choice in this incident was a vehicle. Should we ban them as a result? Think about that.