There are many products on the advertise today that may be carried for personal protection. From stun guns to pepper spray to personal alarms, these items are made compact enough to carry on your keychain or in a purse. And if used properly, they could be a huge factor in prevention of crimes against many people .

However, there is one tool that we all possess that can be detrimental to ones safety, and that tool is Awareness. How many times have you found yourself running errands, in a hurry, and you virtually had tunnel-vision? Unaware of everything going on around you except what you were doing at the instant.

A friend of mine was out of town last year and his wife, who was eight decades pregnant was out shopping. At 2:00 in the afternoon in a newly developed shopping district, she was leaving a crafts store, with her arms full of shopping bags. While approaching her vehicle, a man drove up beside her to inquire of for directions to a mall nearby. As she started to reply, he reached out of his window and grabbed the purse that was strapped over her shoulder. She was pulled down to the ground and had to let go as he drove off with the purse in his grasp. Fortunately she escaped serious injury and only personal items were lost. The thief was most likely a bit disappointed when he discovered only three dollars cash in her purse. Since she cancelled all her credit cards, $3 was all he got. At the time of the incident, the woman who was robbed was not carrying any self defense products (she is now of course). But more importantly, she could have prevented the crime with that tool called Awareness. Had she scanned the parking lot as she proceeded to her vehicle, the suspicious man sitting in his car would have been spotted. And simply building eye contact with him may have dissuaded the purse snatcher, surprise being a thiefs best weapon. In addition, by maintaining composure enough to get a license plate number, she could have assisted Police in apprehension of this cowardly criminal.

Stun guns, pepper spray, and personal alarms are excellent products for self defense. They have saved many many people from catastrophe. If you carry one of these items, they should be close by and ready to use. Carrying pepper spray in the bottom of a purse would be of no help if it was needed at a moments notice. While these products could be very effective, they must be used in conjunction with Awareness, otherwise they could be rendered useless.

Bryan Robinson is the owner of Safety Gear HQ self defense products.