Greg Ellifritz recently wrote an excellent article about mitigating the risks we encounter every time we go into a parking lot.  https://www.activeresponsetraining.net/five-parking-lot-precautions  It’s great advice; much like my own protocols that I developed after LCDR Schaufelberger was assassinated in his car in El Salvador. https://thetacticalprofessor.net/2018/05/25/in-memoriam-albert-schaufelberger/

Two points in particular resonated with me. First,

Walk against traffic going to and from your car.  …  You may also be able to detect the driver distracted by texting or scrolling the internet on his phone before he runs you down as well.

Every time you go into a parking lot, you will see people who simply cannot put their cell phones down for ONE Minute between their cars and the store. As soon as they get out of the car, they start texting or talking, completely obvious to the two ton homicide machines moving all around them. When they leave the store, they continue blabbing even while they’re backing out of their parking space and driving down the lane.

The title of Colonel Rex Applegate’s most famous book Kill Or Be Killed comes to mind. Such people are ready and willing to kill you as they distractedly put their manslaughter machines in motion or they’re ready to be killed while yapping about something of no importance.

By walking against the traffic, you’ll have more chance to see the distracted driver before they run you down and then say “I’m so sorry” while you’re leaking and being loaded in the ambulance aka ‘amber lamps.’ https://youtu.be/53Bx5PLrOIk?si=zCk8BcJyDLOVFUS0&t=173 Note: in the first part of the video there “may be strong language used by those shown in the video. Viewer discretion is advised, especially for young children and sensitive viewers.”

The second point that resonated with me was:

If I do carry a shopping bag, I always carry it in my non-dominant hand.  I like to keep my gun hand free for a faster draw should I decide I want to respond with my weapon.

I disagree with Greg about this. My comment on his Patreon page  https://www.patreon.com/posts/five-parking-lot-138083166  was:

One point of difference. I carry the bag in my Primary Hand. During 10 years (around 400 iterations) as a role player in Force on Force scenarios, we never saw any clients drop something in their Support Hand when they were forced by the scenario into shooting. Even Rogers Advanced Level shooters would shoot Primary Hand Only. Same thing for less skilled shooters. That observation changed my mind about how to set myself up for success.

Parking lots are spaces in-between other places of relatively greater safety. Ramp up your level of awareness for two minutes when you drive into the parking lot and when you leave the store to exit the parking lot.

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