In 2008, crime prevention expert Sergeant Marty Almond gave a list of the most dangerous places for women: places where women (and children, and anyone else for that matter) should take extra safety precautions.

For each dangerous location we’ll also give practical safety tips that you should not only consider yourself, but pass to your close friends also. We’ll skip the real obvious tips (like “lock your doors”) and cut right to Sergeant Almond’s best advice.

1. Your Home

Just when you thought you were safe! The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that about 25 percent of violent crimes occur at or near your home. Okay maybe not your home, but you know what I mean. This makes sense since most people spend at least 50% of their time (12 hrs/day) at their house.

Tip #1: This one is creative: Sgt Almond recommends you leave a $20 bill by your front door as an indicator that someone has broken into your house. He says, “If that money’s laying there you can rest assured no one’s been in your house. It’s just natural instinct to pick up money. They’re going to pick up that money whether they’re there to rape, burglarize, or rob”.

Read more home safety tips: locks, garage doors, and deterrents

2.  Mall Parking Lots

Parking lots are a criminal’s playground. The volume of people, unattended vehicles, and predictable shopping patterns make it a goldmine of opportunity. The intent of most parking lot crime is to steal, but these tips can keep you from being assaulted in the process.

Tip #1: Leave your purse at home (gasp!), or hidden in your car’s trunk. Your purse is the number one target, and it’s connect to you. Thieves can use knives to quickly cut the straps, cutting you in the process. Drive-by-snatchings are not uncommon: a car passenger with the window rolled down can drive beside you and simply grab your purse. If you can’t get it off your shoulder in time, “you’re coming with it and it could drag you up underneath the car. It has happened before.” warns Sgt Almond. If you need it, consider keeping your purse over the shoulder facing away from the road.

Read more parking lot safety tips: keys, cash, and GPSs

3.  ATMs

It’s no surprise that automated banking machines can be dangerous. Criminals know you’ll soon have cash-in-hand, and at night (when there’s no usually security around) they can hide anywhere near the ATM and surprise you. They can also approach you from behind as you make your withdrawal. From behind they would appear to be waiting for the machine, but could be verbally threatening you and giving you instructions for turning over your cash.

You may have heard that entering your PIN number backwards will notify the police, while still completing your transaction to not raise suspicion with the thief. This is actually true, but only with certain ATMs that have adopted the reverse PIN technology. Contact your bank to learn where it’s available.

Tip #1: The very best tip is to only use an ATM in the day when there are people around. At riskier times, consider leaving your purse behind (well-hidden in your car for example), and only take your bank card to the machine. If you are mugged and you have your purse, they’ll want that too, and there’s no point also losing your credit cards, license, car keys, and whatever else you carry in your purse.

4. Gas Stations and Convenience Stores

“Bad guys” love these places according to Sgt Almond. They know you’ll have money, and they know you’re probably in a hurry and distracted by other things. Paying for gas at the pump is a good idea where available since you don’t need to leave your car (theft of valuables is very common from cards at gas stations), but gassing up during the daytime is the easiest thing you can do to stay safe.

Tip #1: Keep your back against the car while filling up. Even Sgt Almond admits he does this while looking around to prevent anyone from sneaking up behind him. In fact, covering your back is a good safety tip for any time you’re waiting around.

5. College and University Campuses

The large number of young and often distracted women make campuses a popular target for criminals around the world. First-year (”freshmen”, or “frosh”) students are especially at risk—they may not have many friends to walk with, they’ll sometimes be lost, and they probably won’t know the dangerous spots to avoid.

Tip #1: Keep your eyes and ears open: put the cell phone away. Making calls while walking is a clear distraction, and you may not hear people approaching from behind. Texting while walking is equally risky because with your head down and straight forward, you can easily miss dangers around you (cars as well as people!).

Parking lots are so common we may rarely think of them as “dangerous places”. But statistically, they are the second most common places for personal assault and theft. Much of what we do in parking lots is routine, so improving your safety is just a matter of forming some new safety habits.

Please note this is a growing list. I encourage you to leave a comment with your own parking lot safety tip, story, or advice.

Some of these tips are for deterring theft. It’s important to realize that auto-related theft is rarely random: the criminal is watching every car enter and leave the lot. Assume you are being watched from the moment you arrive.

Tip #1: Leave your purse at home (gasp!), or hidden in your car’s trunk. Your purse is the number one target, and it’s connect to you. Thieves can use knives to quickly cut the straps, cutting you in the process. Drive-by-snatchings are not uncommon: a car passenger with the window rolled down can drive beside you and simply grab your purse. If you can’t get it off your shoulder in time, “you’re coming with it and it could drag you up underneath the car. It has happened before.” warns Sgt Almond. If you need it, consider keeping your purse over the shoulder facing away from the road.

Tip #2: Your keys are a weapon. If you find yourself in a bad situation and fear for your safety, try this: take the biggest key on your key chain and hold it in your palm, letting the shaft of the key slip between your middle and ring fingers. Now close you fist tightly so they key protrudes firmly from your hand. This weapon can be used to jab or scratch at the throat, eyes, or ribs of an attacker. Practice doing this all within your pocket, or just without looking.

Tip #3: Don’t walk alone, especially at night. But what if you are alone? Wait for someone else to arrive in the lot, and walk into the building at the same time. The same is true when leaving: wait for someone who has made a purchase, and walk to your car at the same time.

Tip #4: Always lock your doors and keep your windows fully closed. Opening your windows just a crack (maybe to keep the heat down) is enough to make a break-in much easier and faster.

Tip #5: Never leave valuables—including piles of coins—visible in your car. An experienced auto thief can break into your car in as little as 3 seconds (even for new cars), making even a few bucks in change worth the effort.

Tip #6: GPS devices are a hot item. Don’t give any indication that there may be one in your car. This means wiping off suction cup marks from your windshield, and hiding it in your vehicle before driving into the parking lot.

Tip #7: Don’t hide valuables or put them in your trunk after you have parked. Remember, the criminal is watching and you’re not only showing them what you have, but where you’ve put it.

Tip #8: Look under and around your vehicle as you approach it. If someone is walking behind you or approaching you, change directions. Car jackers will confront you just as you open your door, and 92% of successful jackings involve a weapon. But jackings also happen just as you leave your car, so stay alert make sure there is nobody nearby before getting out.

Hopefully you feel safe in your own house. But since about a quarter of all crime happens in or near your home, it makes sense to take a good look at your home security situation.

Please note this is a growing list. I encourage you to leave a comment with your own home safety tip, story, or advice.

Tip #1: According crime prevention expert Sergeant Marty Almond, “Every house should have a deadbolt”. A deadbolt lock on your doors makes it much harder to break in. The bold should come at least 2 inches into the door frame to make it sturdy.

Tip #2: Make sure your door locks are not within arm’s reach of any window. “All they have do is bust this window, unlock this door and open it up and they’re in,” said Sgt. Almond. “Way too easy” he added.

Tip #3: When you drive into your garage, it is very easy for a criminal to sneak under the door just before it closes. From within the garage they could gain access to your house, wait in the back seat of your car, or at the very least, steal belongings from your garage. Sgt Almond recommends that you WAIT IN YOUR CAR while the door closes behind you, and watch the rear-view mirror until it closes completely.

Tip #4: This one is creative: leave a $20 bill by your front door as an indicator that someone has broken into your house. Sgt Almond says, “If that money’s laying there you can rest assured no one’s been in your house. It’s just natural instinct to pick up money. They’re going to pick up that money whether they’re there to rape, burglarize, or rob”.

Tip #5: Invest in a home security system! This one is obvious but worth mentioning even though it will set you back a few hundred, or even thousand dollars.

Tip #6: Use visible deterrents. Burglaries are not random: criminals usually “case a neighborhood” to find vulnerable houses, then return in the day while the residents are at work. Alarm signs and decals, bars on windows, strong locks and doors, big dogs, and alert neighbors can sometimes deter these burglars.