If you drive alone you can improve your personal safety by following a few simple rules.

• Keep your car in good mechanical condition to avoid breakdowns and allow you to react quickly if you find yourself in a bad situation.

• Hold your keys in your hand as you approach your parked car. Don't wait until you reach the car to search for them in your purse. Experts say you're most vulnerable when you are getting into or out of your car.

• Check the back seat before getting into the car, even if you left it with the doors locked.

• Lock all doors and roll up the windows while you drive.

• Keep the phone number of your AAA emergency road service in your car as well as in your purse.

• Never pick up hitchhikers.

• Sound the horn in potentially dangerous situations.

• To help deter abductions in your own car, consider having it equipped with an alarm that goes off a few seconds after you enter the car unless you turn it off.

• If your car becomes disabled, lock yourself in and turn on the fourway flashers until the police come.

• Be wary of using a citizens' band radio to call for help. Calls are sometimes answered by people with the wrong motives. If you do use your CB radio, don't leave your car until a uniformed police officer arrives.

• If you drive alone in the winter, keep emergency items such as a traction mat, a shovel and a bag of sand or kitty litter in your trunk. Flares, blankets, water, flashlight, canned food and a reflective "Help" sign are also useful.

• If you have a flat tire in a dark or dangerous location, drive slowly to the nearest service station or public place. Even if you ruin the tire, you will not have risked your life.

• Always park in a central, well-lighted place, preferably where there are attendants on duty or people passing by. Try to park so that you will approach the driver's side of the car when you return. You won't be surprised by someone who has crouched by the door.

• Avoid short cuts that take you through unfamiliar or unsafe areas.

• If you notice someone suspicious near your car, walk in a different direction toward a public place and seek help.

• Beware of men in civilian clothes driving unmarked cars who show you what appears to be a police badge. Don't roll down your window or get out of the car. Instead, request that a marked police car be called.

• If your car is rammed from behind and the hit seems to be deliberate, stay in the car with the doors locked. Wait for the police to arrive.

• Most police experts do not recommend that you carry weapons in your car. Instead, they suggest that everyday items like flashlights, fingernail files, pens, keys and screwdrivers be used for protection.

• If someone forces you to drive your car in an abduction, try to attract the attention of the police by turning off the lights, speeding, driving as if you were intoxicated, or running into something.

• Never follow a stranger who offers to help you find your way on an unfamiliar road or street. Wait in your vehicle and ask for directions.