Self Defense Products Blog

The Daily American News reported that State police used a Taser on an emu after it ran wild across the Pennsylvania Turnpike for nearly two hours Monday. The emu, which is a large flightless bird, died.

Turnpike police were notified about the bird roaming near the 72.4 mile marker in Westmoreland County at 11:36 a.m. Five troopers from the New Stanton station and turnpike maintenance workers responded to the incident, said Lt. James McFadden.

“At one point we had an eastbound traffic backlog and then it went over the barrier,” he said. “We were trying to control the backlog to prevent any crashes.”

Unfortunately the Emu died while the officers were trying to subdue it and save human lives. It seems the bird may have escaped from a truck while in transport.

No humans or officers were injured.

Recently I wrote about the Pet Blinkie and I truly believe this is the cheapest and most effective way to protect your pet from things that speed in the night. Safety lights are not a luxury!

Tonight I had a frightening experience as I was driving to the store. I live in a fairly rural area that borders a town. It is not an understatement to say that the local government is not wasting any of our tax dollars on street lights.

I was traveling at about 45 MPH (in a 50 MPH) and as I was almost upon two cyclists I quickly swerved and then changed lanes. The cyclists were wearing black and had NO REFLECTORS!

Fortunately, I am a cautious driver and I was paying attention. As I continued down the road I looked in my rear view mirror only to discover they had reflectors on the front of their bikes and what appeared to be a miner light on top of their heads. Safety lights on the back of the cyclist or their bike would have helped immensely.

This could have ended badly. It is not enough to have reflectors in front of you as long as there are cars behind you. Drivers can be tired at night and are likely to be less attentive even though the opposite is required.

If you are a cyclist remember the basics:

Wear light or bright colored clothing

Obey the rules of the road

Use reflectors on your person and your bike

Keep a safe distance between you and the cars on the road.

Safety lights are extra bright, and offer a high intensity LED Light. There are seven functions with different flashing patterns. Safety lights includes heavy duty PVC bike mount, arm or wrist strap and belt clip. Can be worn like a pager.

It is better to be safe than be right!

Having driven cross-country and seen very few Starbucks around Iowa it is truly possible to appreciate the idea of driver fatigue. Driver fatigue or white line fever as it is also known is the cause of accidents and fatalities every year.

How many times have you thought you were awake while driving and realized that for a split second you were asleep – or was it only a second? If you avoided a head-on collision, the incident most likely scared you and your passengers half to death.

These situations are not only serious but life threatening, which result in too many injuries and deaths every week, month and year. The story is often the same, the driver fell asleep at the wheel, and more often than that, if the driver survives, they, themselves will tell you that they dozed off for “just a second” but didn’t realize it. There is a solution to this problem: The Nap Alarm.

The Nap Alarm is an affordable and extremely effective product on the market that will prevent drivers from falling asleep at the wheel and help them avoid accidents, injuries and death. The Nap Alarm is lightweight and attaches around the ear. Approximately the size of a larger Blue tooth this tiny device saves lives. If your head drops or nods while you are driving, the alarm will sound and wake you as well as the passengers in your car. The alarm runs on alkaline button cell batteries and fits comfortably. You’ll only notice it if the alarm sounds – waking you, alerting you so you can focus, and helping you stay on your portion of the road to avoid potential tragedy.

Don’t allow yourself, your family or other passengers to become a statistic. Don’t put other vehicles on the road in danger. If you are drowsy it is best to pull at a rest stop or even trade positions with a less drowsy driver. Any time you are on a long drive the Nap Alarm is a tiny solution to a life or death problem.

Public transportation is normally very safe and most taxi companies are reputable licensed firms and their drivers have been bonded. Background checks have been done on these driver/operators before they are hired. You should feel confident in taking a taxi or riding on a bus, train or tube, but you still have to gain enough confidence in yourself to feel safe.

Having additional tools for safety is not a hindrance, but an advantage, so you should equip yourself with pepper spray, stun gun, mace and other safe and legal ammunitions to protect yourself. You are only as safe as you feel and we are now living in a society that is filled with crime. Even in our school system, it is no longer safe. Children take guns to school. The other day, I heard about a ten year old; imagine a ten year old, taking an old grenade to school for show and tell. The children are possibly watching all the crime on television and in their innocence are taking up arms to protect themselves unconsciously.

Your prime focus is to protect yourself, your family and whatever belongs to you in a non-confrontational way that is backed by the law. It is legal to bear arms responsibly even if it only “lipstick peppers spray” or a “cell phone stun gun.” It is your right to protect yourself.

Here are some tips to make sure that you take public transportation safely:

• Use a bus stop you know is usually busy and well lit
• Know the departure and arrival times of the bus and try to let someone at the other end of the station know that you are taking the bus and which bus you are taking. They could always meet you at your stop
• Sit close to the driver. If someone starts up a conversation, be pleasant and confident, but don’t give away your personal information such as where you live or work.

If you are taking a train:

• Wait on a well lit section of the platform, close to the exit or where there are other people around. Many stations now have CCTV cameras and staff that are trained to deal with emergencies.
• When you get on the train, try to sit in a busy compartment and keep any bags and personal possessions you have next to you.
• If you feel uncomfortable, switch seats or even consider getting off the train and catching the next one. Only do this if the station where you are getting off is manned and busy.
• Know where your emergency button or cord is situated or any help points at the station.

If you are taking a taxi:

• Carry the phone number of a taxi or mini cab firm you know, and whenever you book a taxi ask them for the driver’s name and type of car they will be driving
• If you can, share a taxi with a friend and have your money ready and keys handy at the end of your journey so that you can enter your home quickly
• If ever you feel uneasy in a taxi, ask the driver to stop in a busy place that you know well and get out.

Be safe! For more information, go to http://www.laneselfdefense.com/lipstickpepperspray.htm

Lot’s of people hate making road trips.

This is kinda hard to believe because road trips are supposed to be fun. You can get away from the everyday routine. You can see all sorts of new and beautiful scenery. You can have adventures. (Feel free to insert your own Las Vegas story right here.)

It’s also really easy to get around in the US. Nearly all the roads are at least decent to drive and many are in excellent shape. There’s lots of food and fuel right off the highway, so it’s easy to keep both you and your vehicle full and raring to go. There are so many places and things to see; historic sites, giant animals, and sports stadiums.

What’s not to like?

Well, you are away from home, surrounded by people you don’t know, most of them blabbing on their cells as they hurtle down the highway.

You might get hit by a drunk driver.

You might get carried away by a violent loner.

You might fall asleep, crash your car, and die HORRIBLY.

Let’s talk about the sleeping thing.

http://www.laneselfdefense.com/napalarm.htm

Here’s a really simple solution.

Here’s the Nap Alarm Sleep Alert. This tiny wonder can help wake you up in time to avoid the pain of sudden death and the social embarrassment of a closed-coffin funeral.

It’s so easy to use. You just wear it over your ear like an old-school hearing aid. If your head should nod while you’re wearing it, the alarm will go off, waking you and everyone else in the car. (Why weren’t they keeping an eye on you?)

It runs on batteries and, unlike a cheap Christmas present, these batteries are included.

The Nap Alarm Sleep Alert.

A low cost solution to a deadly danger,

Steve Lane

P.S. Nearly everyone has nodded off while driving at least once.

http://www.laneselfdefense.com/napalarm.htm

Here’s an easy way to prevent that quick nod of yours from turning into a long dirtnap.