Is flashlight an effective tool for self defense?

The OP went missing. As many times as this subject comes up I’m starting to smell a rat.

Or just wear The Suit Of Many Hooks, following the example of the Wily Porcupine.

The best way to not get yourself in a dangerous situation is to avoid it . Sleeping in a car is asking for trouble in these days that we live in.

I am not Texas Lumens, I have never meet the man. But I understand he is a much nicer, wiser and smarter person then myself. Not the first time on the confusion. For our non Texas, non USA members. Violent crime in the States is greatly inflated by a few large cities out of control. New York, Chicago, Detroit to name a few. Get out of those areas the people are much more civil. I’ve been in law enforcement for 27 years now. You would be surprised how many times while helping a broken down motorist someone slows down and offers something to drink. Given a sandwich some of my craziest homeless will sit down and tell you how life has been lately. Some are just really crazy and if harmful to themselves or others I drive them to the county hospital for care. When I see them later many apologize for their behavior and tell me how life is going now. What drives us drives most in the world; family, friends, faith, good food, flashlights. This thread is soo far off that I don’t mind digressing more. When eating in uniform an old beaten van stops, out gets four kids, mom and dad. Waiter/owner said my meal was paid for. Made me want to cry, I paid for their meal and left before they found out. They told me “thank you for your service and God bless you” as I left. We have a lot of foreigners, most are very conservative and religious. They tell me stories about where they came from and how much freedom they now have here. Many more stories most good, some not so. I get sent out to the problems so I tend to see more negative. Yes, I carry a gun every where. No, I’ve never shot anyone. Pepper spray is close to a liquid hammer and leaves an invisible UV dye on them for a few days.

Back to whats left of the topic. Use the right tools for the right job. Flashlight for light. Pepper spray for defense. Improvise if you must. Brain for knowing when and where.

Nobody’s mentioned the car.

(viewer discretion advised) Justifiable Force Caught on Dash Cam | Active Self Protection - YouTube

Have a flashlight, have pepper spray, have a stun gun if you wish, have a gun also. Don’t forget a knife as a very last resort.

Know how to use them all OR don’t take them with you.

HOPEFULLY… you will not need any of them… chances are you will not.

BUT, IF it comes down to it… It is much better to have it and not need it than to need it and NOT HAVE IT. :white_check_mark:

there are flashlights with high voltage shocker bezels

but the light part is terrible, if the shocker was just as bad it would be hopeless.

“Police deployed stun guns, because pepper spray proved to be ineffective.” “Police deployed tasers, because stun guns proved to be ineffective.” “Police were forced to discharge their firearms, because tasers proved to be ineffective.”

We see such content printed in news stories regularly. There is one main variable. Is it a determined attack? If yes, sensory aversion stimuli are useless.

You need to have lights with you. If somebody is advancing and you suspect they’re going to do you harm, hitting them with a light may buy you a couple of seconds at best. Any and everybody’s natural reaction will be to put a hand up to block the light from the eyes but they will still be able to advance and see your body from the waist down. It’s no different than driving into a setting or rising Sun. You put the visor down or you put your hand up and you block the light and you keep driving.

“I’ll be driving cross country and plan to sleep in my car during the trip. If I were threaten by shady character in the dark of night, would a good flashlight’s turbo mode (or strobe mode) effective enough to disorient the attacker, affording me a little time to get away from the situation?”

If ya gotta sleep in yer car (and who hasn’t….:laughing:, at least sleep in the driver’s seat with yer windows rolled up, doors locked, butt most importantly have da keys already in the ignition.

So……if you’re already in the car stay put in the car. Hopefully soon doing 90 per. :laughing:

Common sense tends to go a long ways in just about everything in Life.

Butt yeah, a sturdy heffty metallic flash IS a weapon if need be IF ya got nothin’ else. The blinding part cood (BIG unlikely cood) buy time butt rapidly and yet smoothly (smooth is fast) turning that ignition switch is MOST likely yer best move. Practice this scenario at least mentally before falling asleep so it comes to you even if he loudly busts out a window.

The accelerator is yer best friend here.

Remember you’re essentially cornered/trapped in that vehicle. :open_mouth: He’s (or they) free to move all around you. It’ll be REAL tuff to “blind” him much less through reflective/diffusing windows. The only person yer gonna blind is yerself. Becuz of these immutable facts he has by FAR the greatest advantage over you.

Git movin’. :+1:

PS. Pre-plan how you will park. Git dam aware of your immediate surroundings. Think like him and watt he’s looking for. Always try to leave a way to motor exit. Don’t park between cars for example. So watt this obviously means is carefully choose where you’ll park up first.

PSS. Don’t forget a long press on that horn if ya have any doubts on who’s approaching you, hear voices, wakes ya up strange noises, etc. (Then press twice for the next pulse horn mode……) :laughing: :open_mouth:

PSSS. Don’t ever roll down a window even for watt you think is just a “little bit” to better determine watts just now going on. Have no “cracks” in your quasi-armored vehicle as it were.

My acebeam L19 green saved me from tresspassers. I caught two people sneaking into my back yard at 1am and so I turboed them with 570k candela in the face and they ran away.

They likely would have reacted mostly the same way if it had been a keychain light or by singing “Happy Birthday To You” with your best Marilyn Monroe impersonation. Although the acebeam probably got them to run a little faster and a little further.

This sounds like a good plan but staying in a cheap hotel, being able to use a proper bathroom and shower is a bit more attractive.

WRONG !!!!

Don't ever sleep in your car with the keys in the ignition ....

the above comment by notawhackjob is really,really BAD advice .

The act of sleeping it off // while having keys in the ignition ...is like writing yourself a DUI .

Trust me on this one .I know someone who got a Public Intox. for sleeping in his car and was told later that .. " it's a good thing the keys weren't in the ignition or it would have been an automatic DUI ". Laws are different everywhere and some much harsher . asleep in a car drunk in some states no matter where your keys are is a DUI .

ABSOLUTELY AGREE. It wood be BAD ADVICE. I’ll remove the :beer: . I just said that as to why anyone would havta sleep in their car jokingly butt as you say if you’ve :beer: DON’T DO THAT. :laughing:

Otherwise if ya haven’t been :beer: then it’s ok to leave keys in the ignition. If a cop sees ya sleeping in a car no matter watt (keys or no keys in ignition) you’re still gittin’ sobriety tested anyway. Keys in the ignition tho’ will likely make the test more “vigorous”. Gotta weigh the pros and cons here depending on your situation.

PS. Which brings up an interesting twist. With newer cars having the option of keyless ignitions a cop finds ya asleep anywhere in the vehicle (maybe even in the trunk :open_mouth: ) and you’ve been :beer: you’re likely gettin’ a DUI. Watts good for DUI in one state is prolly now likely to be blanket good in all states in context with that technological advancement. The modern moral of this story thus becomes even WITHOUT keys in the ignition and you’ve been :beer: you’re likely gettin’ a DUI. Ya know they gotta level the playin’ field. Why should keyless car owners get a :beer: pass? :laughing: :open_mouth:

PSS. There very well could be an unfortunate time, (car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and ya don’t have cell service, etc.) when ya gotta sleep in your car. Watt I’ve said above still applies as to the accelerator being yer best friend in that situation.

My state public intox is harder than a DWI to reach. For a DWI use must be in a running car and suffer only one of the three. Blood alcohol over 0.8, or loss of mental faculties or physical faculties. In a public intox you can be all three and not meet the standard needed. In Texas a public intox is when you have become a danger to yourself or others. I have heard of a man sleeping in his car with his foot on the accelerator burning up the motor. So sleep in the back or passenger side. No open containers, no drinking no problem on the DWI side. Of course always to just drink in strict moderation while using a rolling home will save you the hassles.

This thread is so off topic now it probably just needs to fade away. Original poster has had no further input or questions. Probably on the cooking forums asking if any foods have any self defense value.

“My state public intox is harder than a DWI to reach. For a DWI use must be in a running car and suffer only one of the three. Blood alcohol over 0.8, or loss of mental faculties or physical faculties.”……

Point being ultimate results vary state-to-state and testing the nuances is kinda risky, no? :laughing: Then there’s the intangibles; a LEO’s particular mood that day, your attitude, condition of yer car helping pre-determine perceptions of guilt, etc. Good luck with that reality roulette wheel.

I don’t think this thread “needs” a fade out. One cood say that about any other off-topic trending thread. Threads completely staying on topic is preferred butt sometimes things are learned that wouldn’t otherwise be brought out. Food cooking forums analogy doesn’t jibe. The first-time OP had a seemingly to some stubid question concerning using a flash as a weapon. Which in fact they swingingly can be butt watt makes them likely an ineffective deterrent emitting-wise from inside a vehicle notwithstanding. :student: A flash has to know its limitations. :laughing:
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I guess I have been lucky. I have slept in my car for a few/several hours on many ocassions through the years when driving on a long trip & getting tired.

I would stop either at an Interstate Rest Area, top of an Interstate On Ramp, or a Gas Station/Convenience Store.

Keys always in ignition & .45 close at hand. :wink:

Police have checked on me a few times & a sobriety test was never even mentioned.

I guess it depends on location & the officer who checks on you.

Ya know that wood be a great answer to a LEO.

“Sir, why are you sleeping in the car?”

“Well officer I was getting tired and I didn’t want to risk falling asleep at the wheel”.

Sounds like watt a good law-abiding citizen wood say. :+1:

Watt could he say?……

“Get out of the car, turn around with your hands behind your head and spread em’!!! You’re under suspicion of driving under the influence of potentially snoring, Mr.!!!” :laughing: :open_mouth:

EXACTLY…. :white_check_mark: :wink: :smiley: