Why did nobody tell me the scariest part of driving alone isn't the driving?
This might sound paranoid but hear me out.
Last month i pulled into a gas station around 9ish to get food, walked back to my car, some guy was just standing there near my driver side door looking at his phone. He walked away when i got close but the whole thing felt wrong.
Few weeks later, totally different vibe. Came back to my car around midnight in a mostly empty parking lot. Someone was sitting in a truck two spaces over, engine off, windows down, just sitting there. i didn't think much of it at first. But when I got to my car and started loading my bags, I looked up and he was watching me. Not on his phone, not looking around. Just watching. i got in and locked the doors. Tried calling a friend. no answer. I didn't even wait. just threw the car in reverse and got out of there.
But i kept thinking about it for days.
You hear stories about women getting followed to their cars or worse and you don't think it'll be you until you're in a situation like that. And the thing that scared me most wasn't either of those guys specifically. It was realizing i had no idea what was happening outside my car the entire time i was inside that store. anyone could've been watching. Anyone could've followed me in. I was completely blind and didn't even know it.
Every safety tip you ever hear is about what happens on the road. Watch your speed, check your mirrors, don't drive tired.Nobody talks about the part where you're stopped and sitting there alone. Rest areas, parking lots, gas stations. You're just... exposed.
I started looking into what could actually help with that specific problem, not driving safety, but the stopped, parked, vulnerable part. after a lot of reading i landed on the 70mai a810s. Parking mode sends an alert to my phone if someone gets too close or bumps the car and uploads footage automatically. It also offers better heat resistance and has decent heat dissipation properties, which matters if you're parked somewhere for hours. Knowing there's at least a record of what's happening outside changed something for me.
I still get anxious being alone at night. But i don't feel completely blind anymore.
Do you guys have gear or habits for this kind of thing? Or am i just being paranoid.