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10. If a guy you don't know asks you out, never go! He might be a serial killer.

11. If you get a flat tire, don't get out of the car! And if someone offers help, don't open the window! Just sit there until you starve. It's not worth the danger that someone might assault you.

12. If your milk is within a day or two of expiring, throw it away! Don't take the risk that it might be spoiled and give you a horrible disease...

Sorry for the sarcasm, but some of these (don't sit in a car doing your checkbook, never take the stairs) are just silly. The chances of something bad happening are so infinitesimal that it's not worth turning your life upside down. (Besides, why can't someone assault you on an elevator? It's happened loads of times.)

Life is risk. We should weigh the risks and decide whether it makes sense to take them on. Not live our lives trying to wrap ourselves in cotton batting.

That's not to say all these tips are bad - a couple were reasonable. But there's no need to live like a paranoid.

I agree that our society has become risk-obsessed, but there are ways to incorporate these safety tips into your life without sacrificing anything. For example, since reading this list two years ago, I've made it a practice to lock my car door as soon as I get into the car, no matter where I am. Now the habit is automatic, so it's no sacrifice. If someone comes for me when I'm sitting in my (locked) car, I'll have a much better chance than if the door were unlocked.

More dramtically, the advice about running from someone with a gun saved my sister's life. When she was first grabbed, she thought she would go with him so that he wouldn't shoot her. But then she remembered reading that it's worth it to run. Today, she's ALIVE, which I bet she wouldn't be if she'd gone with that guy. If someone tells you to go with him "or else", you can bet he'll kill you eventually anyway (probably after raping you); whereas if you run, you still have a chance.

In summary, I, too, roll my eyes at 20/20 reports about the dangers of, say, eggs. But I think this list is one of the saner, more reasonable lists of safety precautions. And the list is akin to any diet: even if you only follow it 70% of the time, you'll lose weight.

I thought they were okay until they got to #9 (#9, #9, #9...) which sounds like an urban rumor of the usual sort.

And as to kicking out the tail light, why wait until you are in the trunk (and could be drugged)? Kick it out as he puts you in the trunk (one more potential violation for a traffic stop). I know that in my car the tail light casing requires a wrench to turn 3 bolts and even then they don't turn easily. You "could" possibly break through the plastic eventually but certainly not large enough to stick a hand in there. Every car is different.

I will say that I'm a guy and even I don't feel safe sitting in some parking lots with the door unlocked (there are a number of pan handlers where I get my film developed and they do walk up to drivers). I still sort through my photos in the car after I get them but I do keep aware of who is walking near my car.

If you get a flat tire, don't get out of the car! And if someone offers help, don't open the window! Just sit there until you starve. It's not worth the danger that someone might assault you.

Get a cell phone! Call for help. This really isn't funny. The above senario happened to me....I did the stupid thing.