You’re alone. You’re scared. Think fast.

It’s pitch black. You’re alone in a dimly lit parking lot with a long walk back to your car. Whether you were working late, running an errand, or heading home after a night out with the girls, you say to yourself, “How did I get myself into this situation?” and pray that some freak wearing a hockey mask doesn’t pop out from behind a pole. We’ve all been there. And we’ve all promised ourselves to be better prepared the next time something like this happens.

So I’m asking you to take a 2 minutes—right now—and take these safety precautions so you’re better prepared for those scary times when you’re by yourself.

1. Download a police scanner app to your mobile phone and listen to it at full volume when you’re feeling vulnerable. It will lower the odds of being attacked. You could be mistaken for a female police officer listening to her radio with direct access to another officer.

2. If you have an old mobile phone, keep it charged and powered in your glove compartment. Did you know all phones can dial 911 for free, regardless of whether they are activated on any specific network or not?

3. Keep a flashlight app handy. You’ll be glad you have it in dark parking lots, on country roads, and even when fumbling for keys.

4. Share your location on Find Friends.  Ask a friend or loved one to keep an eye on you. There’s a great feature on the Find Friends app that allows you to set automatic notifications to let others know when you’ve arrived or left a particular location. Plus, you can set it to receive notifications to track your friends’ and family’s whereabouts.

There are many new technologies popping up to help keep women and children safe.

Keep an eye on the Safelet, a bracelet that with one quick activation, sends out an alarm to your network of friends. Indispensable, especially when you have very little time to react. You can make your network as big or small as you want. The product is still fairly new, but we are ordering one as soon as it’s available.

What’s the scariest situation you’ve every been in? What measures did you take and what worked? Anything you wouldn’t advise?  Please share in the comments section below to help other readers be more prepared.