Better safe than sorry.
Katie Ring, a self-defense instructor who goes by @the.self.defense.girl on TikTok, has revealed six safety tips for in-person holiday shoppers.
In a two-minute clip posted on Dec. 4, Ring explained ways people can avoid dangerous situations when leaving a parking lot after holiday shopping, with 1.4 million views.
“These safety tips apply to your everyday shopping trips, but we have to be extra alert during the holiday season … especially if you have just purchased some expensive presents,” read the caption for the video, in which she encouraged people to be aware of their surroundings, whether walking to their car or leaving the parking lot.
“If there is a cart ever behind your car … it’s a red flag,” she declared. “Shopping carts and empty water bottles are common items that are used to distract a driver.”
The viral clip showed a person getting out of their parked vehicle because a shopping cart blocked them in. Once the person got out of the car, a bystander snuck into the passenger side and stole the driver’s wallet.
The self-defense expert claimed if a cart blocked her in, she would remain in her car and continue backing out, letting the cart move with her.
Ring explained that shopping carts and water bottles force the driver to get out of their vehicle, giving the criminal access to rob, kidnap or carjack you.
Although the San Francisco resident didn’t clarify the danger behind empty water bottles in her clip, according to the DailyDot, criminals place the bottle near a car tire as a distraction for carjacking.
“If you absolutely must get out of your car, what I recommend is pulling back into the spot, turning your car off, grabbing your keys, getting out of your car as fast as possible, locking it, going back in, and finding someone from security to escort you back out to your car,” she added.
Another safety tip Ring recommended is “tactical parking” — backing into a parking spot — because it allows drivers a faster escape route and gives you a better scope of your surroundings while pulling out.
“Always have your door locked,” she advised, noting that she has particular security measures programmed for her vehicle.
“My car is set so that my door only unlocks when I open it from the inside,” the security expert explained. “And when I enter my car, it is set so that when I am by car with my key, my door is the only one that opens.”
“Don’t be distracted by your phone — this includes while you’re walking into the location, [or] while you’re walking out of the location,” Ring says.
She advises people to scan their environment, looking side-to-side, and notice if anyone is following them.
“Also includes when you get into your car,” she continued. “You don’t wanna get in your car and mess around on your phone for five minutes. You wanna get out of there as fast as possible.”
Ring advocates that people should carry self-defense tools during the holiday shopping season, too.
“[Have] a self-defense tool that you are comfortable carrying, have practice carrying and are legally allowed to carry,” she concluded.
The Post reached out to Ring for comment.
Many TikTokers co-signed Ring’s safety tactics in her video’s comments.
“Always tactical park!” agreed one person. “My friend’s mom calls [it] ‘blast off position.'”
“I hopped out of my car to move a cart to park. Luckily, nothing happened, but thanks for the reminder,” expressed a viewer.
“One thing about me, I ain’t getting out my car to move nothing, me backing up better move it,” joked one person.
However, one TikToker admitted that the clip “unlocked a new anxiety,” though Ring reassured them that “the chances of it actually happening to you are low, but [in my opinion] it’s always best to be aware.”